No Need For Discipline
by Some1Else
Summary: Ryoko accidentally injures Tenchi while trying to seduce him. As punishment, a shock collar is placed around her neck that will zap her whenever she has a sexual thought. How will she handle this? Poorly.
1. No Need For Breakfast!

**Note :** This Tenchi story takes place in the Universe realm.

**No Need For Discipline!**

**By Some1Else.**

**Chapter #1: No Need For Breakfast!**

It was another common evening at the Masaki home. Tenchi found himself running away from Ryoko at full speed. She had become very desperate for him again ever since her return not even a full three months earlier. The only thought on his mind was reaching Katsuhito before Ryoko caught him. Grandpa surely could do something to help him out. He was really the only person Tenchi could turn to when he was having problems beyond his control when it came to the two women constantly vying for his absolute favor over the other. Running up the stairs to the shrine as if he was evading death would have been a whole lot easier if Tenchi had kept up with his training. As he had not, he was a little out of shape. On the other hand, all Ryoko had to do was fly. Keeping ahead of her proved to be a challenge he wasn't physically ready for.

Tenchi wasn't sure of the reason Katsuhito had suddenly gone lighter on his training. It could have been that he knew all that the old man could teach, but that was absurd. Katsuhito knew much more about fighting than Tenchi ever would. He couldn't have been more than half-way finished with the current style he was being taught. Tenchi chose to think on those matters at a different time. Preferably one when he wasn't about to be assaulted. He paused for a split second and chanced a look behind his shoulder and saw that Ryoko was gaining on him. A maniacally devilish grin was on her face that caused Tenchi to scream briefly in horror. His reaction made her all the more eager.

It was then that it hit him. Ryoko was playing with him. This was part of some game. She could have easily gotten him by now if she had wanted. Tenchi's speed began to diminish. As he continued his flight up the stone stairs leading to the shrine he grabbed his side, trying to stifle the throbbing pain that had developed there. This was a sign that surely meant his previous level of athleticism was decreasing. That was something he intended to change if he got out of the situation he was in without being violated. Without warning his second rush kicked in. As if any of it mattered. Ryoko would put a stop to his escape when she deemed fit, probably right before he got to Katsuhito. She'd catch him and then whisk him away before Katsuhito could say anything about it. Though he knew in his heart that this would prove to be an exercise in futility, he could not allow himself to give up. Tenchi finally got away from the cruel stone steps and found himself atop the hill that the shrine was built on.

"Grandpa!" Tenchi shouted at the top of his lungs. "Crisis!"

A whoosh of air spiraled upward behind him. Ryoko gazed down upon him, thirty feet in the air and still rising in a beautiful spiral as if she was preparing to dive on him. Tenchi looked toward the pagoda where his grandfather slept. The lights from inside the structure came on and the shoji door that led into the office where Katsuhito usually could be located slid open. There stood protection in the form of an old man. Katsuhito stood in the doorway with a tired look on his face. He'd even forgotten to retrieve his glasses. That's when Tenchi recalled just how late it was. Three in the morning. Everyone was usually asleep by now if there was nothing on television. Tenchi found himself being thankful for the first time in his life that Katsuhito was a light sleeper, which was something he never thought he would appreciate due to some nasty encounters with the condition he had gone through in his early years.

Tenchi lunged for the door to safety from twenty five feet away and cleared the distance. Somewhere out there in the world, Michael Powell sneezed. Ryoko face planted in the dirt inches behind Tenchi with a load thud, knocking herself out cold. Victory was Tenchi's. He landed hard on his shoulder inside the office and instantly felt a bruise begin to form on his skin. Tenchi crawled on his hands and knees until he reached a nearby closet, which he sat against. He then began to catch his breath while noticing a bunch of tiny little colored spots parading about his vision. Katsuhito slammed the shoji door shut and knelt down beside Tenchi.

"And your side of the story is?" Katsuhito prompted.

His grandson nodded and began to relate what had happened. Tenchi had been in that fuzzy area between being awake and entering sleep when he heard a noise outside of his door. Thinking that it was Sasami getting up to retrieve a drink like she always did in the middle of the night, he laid back down and shut his eyes. But then he heard Ryoko's muffled voice from beyond the door. She was talking to herself about what she intended to do to Tenchi on that particular night. Her words of reassurance fueled her ego and made it impossible for her to abort the operation. The offer would have set any other man directly into her arms, but not Tenchi. According to her disjointed ramblings, she had waited too long to do this and tonight was the perfect night with the combination of the wind, full moon, and the animal representing the current year. Her desire weakened her stealth.

After she finished muttering to herself as was characteristic of her personality, Ryoko pressed her back up against the wall beside the door and turned the handle very gently. The door swung inward innocently as if it had opened by itself. Ryoko was naturally out of sight. Tenchi had to admit that Ryoko had skills. She was a real pro when it came to being sneaky and could even be very tactical at times. It had to be because of her past. If he hadn't been awake with worries before she came around he probably wouldn't have noticed anything until it was to late. By the time she made her move, Tenchi already had a can of shaving cream in his hands.

He'd secretly hidden it in his room before a week ago without the intent of every actually having to use it. Deep down in his subconscious he knew something like this was going to happen. Tenchi needed a last line of defense. The shaving cream would do. It was gentler than a can of mace. He didn't need to completely incapacitate Ryoko. In any case, it made him sleep easier. He pretended to be asleep and prepared himself for whatever Ryoko was going to bring him. Or he tried to, at least. The way Ryoko was dressed did cause Tenchi to lose his precious can of shaving cream when his hands turned to jelly, causing the can to slide free of his grip and roll out the side of his bed. So much for getting the jump on her. A nosebleed was also involved, but Tenchi focused on what happened to the shaving cream. Just as his luck would have it, it rolled over toward Ryoko's bare feet. Just as a miracle would have it, she didn't notice. She did, however, close the door.

"It's time for some lessons, schoolboy." Ryoko said, smiling.

There was no use trying to hide it anymore as Ryoko already knew he was wide awake. Tenchi jumped out of his bed and began looking for a way to escape. Ryoko effectively kept him cornered as she advanced toward him slowly. She was saying something highly arousing, but Tenchi wasn't hearing any of it. He jerked toward the left so Ryoko would do the same, and then managed to trick her by running to the right and straight for the door. When his hand settled on the handle, he felt pain shoot through him, causing him to draw back. His palm had been seared. Apparently she was using some of her powers in order to prevent his escape. It was then he realized that Ryoko had trapped him. Tenchi hadn't tricked her. He'd just given her a chance to show him his boundaries.

Tenchi froze in fear. His initial plan, the best one, had failed. Killing himself was his next option, but Tenchi felt he had a long life to live. He also felt Ryoko's hands on his body.

"Are you broken?" Ryoko asked suddenly, disappointed.

"No." Tenchi stuttered. "Look, do you really think this is necessary?"

"Oh, quit being such a baby!" Ryoko chided. "Do I need to buy you some pills?"

"That. . ." Tenchi grinned, knowing that he was going to catch her with her next statement. "That wouldn't be true love then, would it? That would be fake. Right?"

"Yes." Ryoko admitted, aggravated. "That's still not going to save you from my gentle persuasion." she grabbed him by the collar. "You've gotta break sometime, Tenchi. And I'll be there when you do!"

"This is gentle persuasion?" Tenchi gagged.

"When are you going to grow up and be man?" Ryoko asked, shaking him viciously. "Touch me once, Tenchi! You won't regret it!"

"I'm sorry, but I think I'll have to pass on that."

"That's it! This is going to be a little rough, but you'll thank me later!"

A small struggle ensued, and Tenchi just happened to be the victor. It took a complex combination of CQC and some of that samurai spice Katsuhito had instilled upon Tenchi to win. Tenchi countered until Ryoko's offense was weakened enough for him to try his own. He tripped her just above the back of her heel, causing her to fall flat on her rear. Something in the room glinted in the moonlight. The can of shaving cream. His very own personal trump card. Tenchi went for it. Before he got to it, Ryoko tackled him from behind.

"That was pretty good." Ryoko panted truthfully. "Katsuhito really taught you well. Now let me teach you a few things."

Tenchi flipped her over so he was on top.

"There we go. Now you're learning!" Ryoko said.

"Ryoko, can you please try to understand what this is to me?"

"Of course. Here you are with five women living with you in your house. The overdose of woman is messing with your senses. You don't know who you can trust! You don't know who you can go to when you need something to talk about! Well, I'm all yours, baby."

"There are six women in this house." Tenchi corrected.

"Silly me, I forgot to add Ayeka." Ryoko said innocently.

"That's not what I mean. Ryoko, I need to pick a college. I need to pick a major. I need friends besides you girls!"

"Have I ever showed up when you're busy hanging out with your buddies?" Ryoko asked.

"No."

"And I never will. Give me some credit, Tenchi." Ryoko said, somewhat disappointed. "Is there more?"

"What I'm trying to say is that a relationship of any kind is the last thing on my mind right now." Tenchi said. "Our friendship will have to be enough."

"Tenchi, are you afraid you'll get me preggers?" Ryoko asked point blank with a serious expression on her face. "Is that what this has been all this time?"

She gestured elaborately as if to encompass all the miscommunication between them in one epic display of incredibly powerful body language.

"Is that it?" Ryoko demanded.

Tenchi was too caught up in the display to respond.

"You know that we have Washu to thank for the best birth control in the galaxy, right?" Ryoko asked.

That caught him off guard.

"Seriously?"

"What, do you think she didn't leave anything useful behind when they threw her into exile? Washu may be a nut, but she has done useful things. I read about them in her dossier a while back. Now, where were we?"

Ryoko rolled Tenchi over while he was busy thinking about Washu inventing something other than a weapon of mass destruction.

"Feel free to keep talking. I'll listen." Ryoko assured him.

It was through some odd occurrence that Tenchi had once discovered that Ryoko had a ticklish spot just above her right hip. As she was on top of him, it was fairly easy to get at. She squirmed and flailed while giggling until he managed to throw her off of him. For just a moment she was harmless, and that was all he needed. Again he tried his luck with retrieving the shaving cream. He managed to grab it. Tenchi didn't dare strike until he was sure he wouldn't miss. Ryoko stood up and stalked over to him, flipping him around so that he faced her. In a flash he was mounted. Knowing now would be as good a time as ever, Tenchi took the can in one hand and gave her a new smile. He felt quite poorly about having to do this, but there really was no other way to save himself.

Ryoko yelled and reeled off of him. She began frantically wiping the shaving cream off of her face and spitting it out of her mouth. Tenchi really felt like an ass at the moment, but Ryoko would live. With a frustrated cry, she teleported away. He figured for a moment that he had won, but this was Ryoko he was dealing with. . .again. . .for the fourth time that month not including last Tuesday because it really didn't count. Ryoko suddenly appeared again with a can of whip cream and a container of strawberries.

"If you wanted to put cream on my body, why didn't you just say so?" Ryoko asked. "What other fetishes could you be repressing, I wonder?"

With the situation escalating and Ryoko not taking no for an answer at all this time, Tenchi's id began to assault him. Why should he not have a little fun? Who would tell? Ryoko? Of course not. Well, she'd probably mouth off to Ayeka about it the very next morning and that would cause even more tension within the household. That was all the family needed since they were fresh off of Kagato's demise. Giving in to Ryoko would upset the delicate balance that allowed Tenchi's life to continue as it was. His loneliness during their absence had been great, but manageable. He had to admit that he liked having all these women around even if they were substantially dysfunctional. It was a pity that sleeping with Ryoko or Ayeka could alter everything so sufficiently.

Until the time came when the whole matter could be settled gracefully with minimal collateral damage, he would remain stoically abstinent. Such stress. Such immense stress. Tenchi was consumed by it. If only school was easier. If only Ryoko and Ayeka courted like civilized beings. Concerns and worries choked out his id, which decided to settle on the fact that avoiding Ryoko's temptations had become rather amusing in a twisted fashion. He tripped over something and fell down yet again, suddenly wondering why nobody had come to investigate all the ruckus. The same can of shaving cream he had used against Ryoko rolled away from him.

Ryoko tossed her fetish supplies aside for the time being and dropped down on all fours. She slowly made her way towards him. It looked as though she had him right where she wanted him. The end was near and Ryoko knew it. A lecherous look spread across her that almost betrayed her limited humanity as a slow laugh that spun into an triumphant laugh escaped Ryoko's throat. But all was not lost. Not yet, at any rate. There was only one way out of this situation. One thing led to another. Katsuhito would have to pay for a new window. Apparently Ryoko didn't think Tenchi had enough balls to jump through an unopened window in order to finally make his escape. Sadly enough next time she would take that possibility under consideration so this would only work once.

That lead to the blind chase. Finished with his story, Tenchi eagerly awaited his grandfathers ruling on the situation. Katsuhito sighed deeply.

"I suppose I understand." he finally said. "Misguided lust and being clingy go about as well together as coal and grass."

Tenchi blinked.

"Let's see you try doing a haiku at three in the morning, boy." Katsuhito grumbled in disapproval. "Who are we kidding, though? That wasn't even a poem."

"Oh, you would be surprised." Tenchi said, giving him some credit.

His grandfather smirked.

"Tenchi!" Ryoko called from outside. "You know you owe me for that and I'm calling in a mutually beneficial favor!"

"She's awake?" Katsuhito asked himself in shock. "Such resilience. I thought she would have been out cold for the rest of the evening with as hard as she hit the ground."

"Hide me!" Tenchi demanded.

Katsuhito nodded slowly and then pointed over to the closet. He had no time for second-guessing. Ryoko's soft footsteps could already be heard on the wooden steps just outside the door. As he slid himself into the tiny closet, Ryoko walked into the room and scanned the area for him. Tenchi saw a naughty smile cross Katsuhito's face for a brief instant before it fell back to a serious frown. Outfits like the one Ryoko had on did that sort of thing. Where had she even gotten it? That must have been where the two hundred dollars that had disappeared out of Nobuyuki's account had gone. She probably still had his debit card number committed to memory just in case she wanted something else. Tenchi felt something sharp jabbing at his feet, but he ignored it.

"Yosho, where's Tenchi?" Ryoko asked innocently.

A frown formed on Tenchi's face. She was so shameless, robust, spry, reckless, and determined that he somehow liked it but at the same time he didn't. Tenchi felt a sweat drop fall on his face. He also noticed the way Ryoko was presenting herself to Katsuhito. Ryoko obviously wasn't afraid of getting attacked by him. She also couldn't care less of what he thought about her taste in clothing.

"He's not in here." Katsuhito said solemnly. "Best you get back to sleep."

"Hey, I saw him come in here!" Ryoko claimed. "Now hand him over!"

"He's not in here." Katsuhito repeated. "Best you get back to sleep."

Ryoko ignored him and looked toward the closet. She smiled and chuckled while walking towards the closet door.

"Don't mind me, Yosho." Ryoko said. "I'll just take what I came for and be on my way."

Tenchi felt his blood go cold as she placed her hands on the handle. Katsuhito remained seated. He hadn't even bothered to look in her direction. Perhaps he was just going to give him up and hand him over to Ryoko. Katsuhito suddenly stood, which got Ryoko thinking about her own personal safety. She stood with her back to the closet, facing Katsuhito. Tenchi could smell her perfume coming off of her body in waves.

"Did you think about this all day?" Katsuhito asked.

"Maybe."

"You didn't count on face planting, did you?"

"You can take that as a sign that my love for Tenchi is down to Earth."

"Nice save. Tenchi has come to me for help and I'm afraid I must oblige his request."

Ryoko sighed in immense irritation.

"However, I suppose it would be unfair to turn you away after you've gone through so much work. If you can get through me. . ."

She didn't wait for him to finish the sentence. Tenchi closed his eyes. He knew what was coming next. In less than a minute Ryoko was crying out in pain. Tenchi looked. Katsuhito had her in a choke hold from behind. He held her hand in his own with his thumb pressed firmly down on a pressure point beneath her own thumb. Tenchi had seen this somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where. Furthermore, this seemed like a devious departure from most of the techniques he had seen and had been taught to use from Katsuhito. He smirked to himself. Katsuhito would never reveal everything. He needed something to kill his opponent with.

"You smell nice." Katsuhito said.

"You're not so bad yourself, Yosho." Ryoko said. She inhaled loudly. "Nutmeg and honey! Someone has black tea on their breath."

Katsuhito used the pressure point he had in his grasp. Ryoko squirmed.

"You win! Tenchi's not in here! He's clearly in the closet, but that in no way implies he is in here! It's best I get back to sleep because I'm clearly seeing things!" Ryoko said.

"Good." Katsuhito said.

He let her go.

"Nice charge, by the way." Katsuhito remarked. "You're a brawler, aren't you?"

"I'm a forlorn lover." Ryoko said with immense distaste. "You just wait until next time Tenchi! I learn from my mistakes." she then turned to Katsuhito. "Isn't that right stupid. . .I mean Katsuhito?" she finished the last part quickly.

Ryoko chuckled nervously. She then slid back and disappeared, presumably teleporting somewhere. Tenchi came out of the closet and sighed in relief. His pulse that had previously been beating into his chest so hard that he thought it would pop out slowed to a normal, steady beat. Katsuhito patted Tenchi on the shoulder reassuringly.

"It amazes me that to this date you have never given in to her temptations. Any idea where she found that outfit?"

"No, none at all." Tenchi said.

"I didn't think so." Katsuhito said. "You usually order stuff like that out of some secret members only catalog so you can avoid being publically embarrassed."

Tenchi thought that she had either made it herself or found it at some porn shop in Tokyo, but it didn't matter now. He probably wouldn't ever see it again. The real question was how she intended to return it and that was her own business.

"You didn't hurt her, did you?" Tenchi asked.

Katsuhito shrugged.

"I imagine her pride took most of the bite. It got our point across, didn't it?" he responded. "I suppose you are right, though. I would have preferred not to, but in the mood she was in there would be no other way to get her to listen. It also shows her who's boss around here. Besides, discipline of that caliber is sometimes needed on headstrong individuals such as her."

"Maybe." Tenchi mumbled. "I guess you're right."

"She should know better than to act that way around you by now." Katsuhito said absently. "She must really think she can win her little battle against Ayeka by behaving like that. How stubborn."

"Grandpa?" Tenchi began. "I'm not entirely comfortable with sleeping back at the house tonight. You've got a spare futon, right? Can I use it to sleep in the office?"

Katsuhito considered the request for a moment.

"That might be a wise thing to do."

He opened the same closet Tenchi had hid in and pulled out an extra futon. He handed it over to Tenchi who laid it out while Katsuhito looked through one of his desks for something. Once he'd finished setting up his bed, Tenchi prepared to slide into it and get a good night's sleep. The atmosphere out here wasn't as tense as it was back home.

"Just a moment, Tenchi." Katsuhito said. "There's something I'd like to talk with you about."

"What is it, grandpa?"

Katsuhito knelt down beside his grandson and put on a serious look.

"I want to tell you something." he paused for a moment so Tenchi would become more focused. "Ryoko and Ayeka both are deeply attached to you. I know you hold a certain amount of affection for them as well."

"Well, Ryoko is okay except when she's horny." Tenchi muttered. "And Ayeka is okay except when she nags."

"You know, it might be wise to stop beating about the bush with this issue. They've been here too long. It's not that I personally don't enjoy their company because I do. To some extent. It's simply the fact that we all need to get on with our lives. This can't go on forever. The situation the family is in right now relies entirely on you."

"But I can't decide." Tenchi admitted. "Maybe if I had some guidance on the issue, or something."

"You need no guidance, Tenchi. This love triangle needs to be resolved before it gets even more complicated. I am not necessarily asking you to choose between them. What I am asking is that you figure out how to end it properly. I know it will be a painful decision, but it won't be very long until you have to go to college if you choose to do so, Tenchi. What happens then?"

"Washu builds a portal that connects the house and my apartment together." Tenchi guessed.

"That sounds about right. Imagine what that would bring."

"I see what you mean, but will you help me?" Tenchi asked nervously.

"I've always believed that decisions of this caliber should be left solely to the person they are connected to." Katsuhito admitted, somewhat sympathetically.

"Alright. I understand." Tenchi said. "I'll do my very best."

"And that's all I ask for." Katsuhito responded. "I'd like to pick up the pace of your training as well, starting tomorrow. We'll focus more on meditation, which should help you."

"That sounds good, but why have you brought this up all of a sudden?"

Katsuhito paused for a moment, considering whether or not he should answer that question. Tenchi always hated when this happened because Katsuhito usually wore a flat expressions that made it impossible for anyone to predict what he was thinking.

"Try to get some sleep, Tenchi." Katsuhito advised.

Tenchi knew better than to press the issue so he just sat there, dumbstruck. Katsuhito exited the office and entered his personal room. The old man fell asleep instantly, which was easily discernible due to the odd snoring noises that filtered into the office. Tenchi laid awake for quite some time, gazing up at the ceiling and trying to focus on the gentle noises outside. Sleep finally did catch him after a while, but it was completely empty. For the first time in a long while, he didn't dream.

**X**

Tenchi woke up before his grandfather did. He had half a mind to roll over and go back to sleep when the words Katsuhito had said to him the other night came back. Nothing could have possibly started his morning any better. The floodgates of his worries had been opened and at the forefront of his concerns was how Ryoko took the incident that had occurred about five hours earlier. Katsuhito's reprimand was somewhat harsh, but she had been asking for it when she tried to get through him. She should have just given up. Katsuhito knew better than to taunt her. Indeed, he was trying to establish dominance between them just as he had said. Through that came understanding, or something. Katsuhito was full of cryptic metaphors. Ryoko's feelings had to have been hurt by what had happened. Hopefully she had slept most of it off. Still, it was the only thing Tenchi could have done to avoid being assaulted by her. Ryoko never listened to his pleadings because she had no reason to do so.

He crawled out of the futon and stumbled over to Katsuhito's alarm clock and checked the time. It was nearly eight o' clock on a Saturday. Sasami was probably up making breakfast as usual. This sparked a potential way to get back on level ground with Ryoko so she wouldn't wind up brooding in the room she had claimed as her own for the better half of the coming week. Yes, a brooding Ryoko was a dangerous alien indeed. This idea Tenchi had in mind would show her that he still cared about her enough to consider her a good friend, which would hopefully cheer her up. He quickly rushed out of the shrine office and ran down the stone steps.

His haste wasn't needed, but he used it out of concern. There was no way in the world Ryoko would be up so early, which was perfect. She usually slept until noon unless she hadn't stayed up all night doing whatever came to mind. Tenchi arrived back home and saw that a few people were already awake. Ryo-Ohki was out front doing the kind of things that Ryo-Ohki had always done before when she was out front. Kiyone suddenly appeared and threw a rubber ball at the animal and the two started playing catch. Her and Mihoshi were temporarily back at the Masaki residence for financial reasons despite her substantial promotion. The currency used around Jurai did not translate to the Japanese yen at all. Furthermore, the cost of living was substantially less than it was on Earth around the Jurai area. She'd discussed that with him before and the comparisons were shocking to the point of nausea.

Without a recognizable degree on Earth, they were forced in to less than ideal jobs. Being on call didn't help matters and forced them into part time positions. Ryoko had offered to forge some documents for Kiyone so she could find decent employment, but she had declined. Besides, Nobuyuki liked having them around anyway and it was his house. Since her and Mihoshi were older than Tenchi they posed no threat to either Ryoko or Ayeka. As such, they were perfectly able to get along with pretty much everyone. They probably wouldn't be there much longer as their boss was working on an arrangement to make their life on Earth slightly more bearable by importing necessities to them. This would have been somewhat expensive if not for Ayeka's generous contribution. Ryoko still thought that the forged documents would have gotten them farther.

"Okay, over here!" Washu said. Her tone was muffled, but he could tell that she was giving orders.

Tenchi walked toward her voice. She was in his room. Nobuyuki was along with her. Both of them were carefully setting in a new window. Washu must have made it herself. In addition to being a great inventor, she did have a glass blowing machine she fiddled around with every now and then. Knowing the replacement was free made Tenchi feel a bit better about having to break the original pane. Mihoshi was below them sweeping up all the shattered glass that was strewn about the ground. Washu noticed Tenchi and gave him a friendly wave that he returned. He then resumed his way into the kitchen.

The smell of breakfast filled the entire room. Sasami's had her head in the refrigerator and was humming something to herself. She had on a plain kimono with the carrot apron she always wore as she cooked. Despite the vast amount of food that she prepared, Sasami always had managed to keep her clothes spotless. Tenchi couldn't recall her ever spilling anything.

"Morning, Sasami." Tenchi greeted.

Sasami stopped humming and took her head out of the fridge and looked at Tenchi, smiling.

"Good morning Tenchi! You'll be having the same breakfast as usual, right?" she asked.

Way back when beautiful women had finally stopped falling out of the sky, Sasami took up the position as cook. This worked out rather well because Nobuyuki had been the cook before she had volunteered to do so. To keep up with everyone's tastes, Sasami made up a food ledger containing everything she could make with the supplies on hand. It was a small way to keep everyone happy. Sasami cooked breakfast solo, but Tenchi and Ayeka usually pitched in for dinner and supper.

"I'm not here to change that. Sasami, could you possibly put Ryoko's breakfast on a tray?" Tenchi requested.

"Why, is she sick?" Sasami sounded slightly worried.

One thing that had always amazed Tenchi and separated Sasami from her sister Ayeka was the fact that Sasami actually had some concern for Ryoko. The two of them were mild friends, while Ryoko and Ayeka were bitter enemies. Then again, who could possibly dislike Sasami?

"She's fine, Sasami. I just felt like bringing her breakfast this morning." Tenchi said.

"Well that's very nice of you." Sasami said brightly. "Hold on, let me get everything ready."

Tenchi took a seat next to the kitchen counter and waited for Sasami to gather Ryoko's breakfast. Sasami picked out a beautiful tray from one of the cupboards and placed Ryoko's preferred breakfast on it, which was a cup of green tea, one shot of sake, her personal blue chopsticks, and the main dish itself. Sasami neatly arranged the items and added a napkin before handing the tray over to Tenchi.

"There you go." she announced.

"I appreciate it, Sasami." Tenchi said with a smile. "And don't tell Ayeka I did this, okay?"

"Don't worry, I won't. It would spoil the whole day if I did."

"Do you know where she is right now?" Tenchi asked.

"No, I don't. I'd be careful, if I were you." Sasami warned.

Tenchi gave her a nod and took the tray. He then cautiously made his way up to Ryoko's room, keeping an eye out for Ayeka. If he encountered her, he'd have to make up some story about how the breakfast was for her instead, even though it was clearly Ryoko's. They'd have a jolly good laugh at his bumbling ignorance before heading back down the steps and then that would be the end of it because Ayeka would keep an eye on him until she got distracted. By then Ryoko would probably be up. Tenchi was so caught up in his thoughts that he missed the last two steps entirely and tripped forward.

He held back a scream of dismay as the food and drinks on the tray flew straight up into the air. Tenchi reacted to the situation with unparalleled deftness and speed. He was on his knees in a split second with the tray planted in front of him. Tenchi managed to snatch every single object out of the air before it fell to the floor. Miraculously, nothing had spilled during the tumble. When it was all over, Tenchi was still jerking violently due to the sudden adrenalin boost. He looked at the tray in wonder, feeling very proud that he was able to do what he had just done. Apparently he wasn't as rusty as he had previously thought.

Tenchi sighed in relief and continued his way to Ryoko's room. Once he reached her door he didn't bother knocking since it wouldn't wake her up anyway. She was a deep sleeper and nothing short of a bone jarring explosion was going to get her attention. He entered her room and stepped lightly across the vast amount of junk scattered across her floor. Ryoko only cleaned her room when she had to fly into and out of bed. Even then she usually manipulated Mihoshi into doing it for her. He set the tray down on her dresser and tripped over something behind him, crashing to the floor. Ryoko grunted and turned over in her bed, pulling the covers closer. Tenchi sighed before standing back up. After that he knelt down beside her bed. Out of interest he watched her sleep for a few seconds. Ryoko had a deceivingly peaceful look on her face whenever she slept.

"Tenchi. . ." she muttered in her sleep.

Normally this would have disturbed him, but at least her dream was making her happy. She rolled over again and continued to breathe gently.

"If I can steal it, nobody will be able to stop me. Not even Nagi." she said.

_I'm just going to leave that one alone_, Tenchi concluded after mulling over that instant of randomness for a bit. Ryoko again tossed in her sleep. Tenchi saw her hand come around just in time to dodge it.

"Tenchi. . ." she said again.

"And I thought my dreams were erratic." Tenchi whispered to himself.

He tapped her shoulder gently, which was concealed by the blanket she had covered herself with. Ryoko was brought into the morning slowly.

"Good morning!" Tenchi said cheerfully. "I brought you. . .whoa!"

When Ryoko sat up in bed, the covers around her fell into her lap. This revealed her bare body, indicating that she had slept naked. This was news to him but an old habit for her. Tenchi's nose began dripping blood. He covered it with his sleeve and took a few steps back. Ryoko didn't make any effort to shield her nude body. She slowly rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and then focused on Tenchi. He was expecting a happy greeting, but what he got was quite different.

"Not another one of these stupid lucid dreams." Ryoko mumbled.

Lucid dreaming. The art of being able to control dreams. Tenchi recalled that some people noted it was related to astral projection. While he had read about it, he'd never personally had one himself. While some claimed diving into their dreams was a relatively easy feat. . .

"Wait, this isn't a dream." Ryoko said in discovery, smiling.

She slid out of bed and lunged at him. Tenchi yelled in surprise and quickly got a tight hug from Ryoko. She then loosened up, but she still kept her hands around his shoulders. Tenchi looked down and saw that she was completely nude. He began twitching involuntarily. Ryoko chuckled.

"You sleep naked?" Tenchi asked.

"Sure. It feels great." she said happily. "You should try it sometime. . .maybe even alongside me." she gave him a wink.

"Could you possibly cover yourself up?" he asked.

"Why? There's no reason to be embarrassed as I'm not ashamed. Perhaps you would be more comfortable if you were naked as well."

She reached for the bottom of his shirt with the intent to take it off. Tenchi seized her greedy hands and put them against her belly, shaking his head. For a moment he thought he had tamed her to some degree. As he was about to let go Ryoko diverted his hands to her breasts, just to see how he would react. Flesh made contact for a brief instant until she let go, allowing Tenchi to break away. She smiled slyly and gave a brief laugh. Tenchi whipped his hands on his pants and Ryoko tisked disapprovingly.

"Oh, come on. It's just skin, Tenchi."

"Isn't it too early in the morning for this?" Tenchi asked.

"Fine." she said, looking to the side. "I'll back down, but only because getting a morning visit from you is rare. Why are you in here, anyway? Shouldn't you still be sleeping in Katsuhito's office?"

Ryoko gave him one of those looks. Her words were loaded. It was a good thing he came prepared.

"I brought you breakfast." Tenchi said.

He knew she could tell by his tone that he was attempting to dodge the issue.

"That was thoughtful of you." Ryoko complimented.

Tenchi hadn't always been the brightest tool in the shed when it came to dealing with women, but he did know she wanted him to say more. For now, Ryoko slid back into bed and wrapped herself up as much as she could. He took the tray of food and set it down in her lap carefully, ready to bolt away if she grabbed at him. For a moment he thought of those little signs at the zoo that warn against feeding certain animals. Luckily Ryoko chose not to drag him into bed with her. She looked down at her food and then at him.

"You're still bleeding." Ryoko said.

Tenchi rubbed the area around his nose to fully clean off all the blood. Now he could avoid any difficult questions as to how he'd gotten one in the first place right after leaving her room.

"This is for what happened last night. I'm sorry it had to end like that. You're not sore, are you?"

"Katsuhito was just play fighting." Ryoko said with a grin. "It's my head that's killing me. I almost broke my nose for you."

"Just try not to do that again for a while, alright?" Tenchi asked nervously.

No good. That wasn't going to get him anywhere.

"Nice girls are no fun, Tenchi." Ryoko said. "If anyone can tell you that with a straight face, it's me."

Their conversation was interrupted by someone entering the room. Tenchi took a deep breath and spun around on his heels. It was Ayeka. She didn't appear to be taking any notice of Ryoko's room, which was typical. However, the moment she saw her rival lying in bed naked and put the dots together, it might result in a fight.

"I couldn't find you anywhere else, so I figured you might have been lured in here." Ayeka explained. There was a slight sting in her words.

"I was just waking up Ryoko." Tenchi lied.

Ayeka didn't buy it. Nobody woke up Ryoko. Not even him. Ayeka bit her bottom lip and restrained herself from asking Tenchi to elaborate. He kept waiting for her to notice Ryoko. Tenchi hesitantly glanced back at her bed to see if she was hiding. His mouth nearly fell open in surprise. Ryoko was fully clothed in her favorite blue kimono. She'd put on that odd tail belt as well, which was slowly moving up and down. Ryoko had her arms folded across her chest, and the tray that had held her breakfast was gone. When he looked into her eyes, she gave him a wink and a small nod. Tenchi turned around to face Ayeka, who was still waiting.

"Okay, Ayeka." Tenchi said calmly. "Let's go."

"Funny, I thought Beowful slaid the Grendel." Ayeka commented.

Ryoko grasped her heart and winced away in pain.

"Right in my classical literature!" she said sarcastically.

"Come now, Tenchi. You'll get germs if you spend too much time in Ryoko's room and I wouldn't want any of that."

"Oh, let me tell you." Ryoko began.

"No." Tenchi pleaded. "You don't tell her anything."

"Go ahead, Ryoko." Ayeka taunted. "Give me the worst insult you could possibly think of."

"You stop, too." Tenchi ordered, pointing a shaky finger at Ayeka.

"Do we make nice, now?" Ryoko asked sarcastically.

Ayeka scoffed and quivered with suppressed rage.

"For now, yes. I will concede." Ayeka stated with some degree of authority. "But only because Tenchi has asked us to do so."

Ryoko looked over at Tenchi, who was grinning broadly and nodding in approval. He couldn't believe his request had actually gone through. For once.

"Very well, then." Ryoko agreed, too concerned to disappoint Tenchi. "Besides, I haven't even done my morning stretches. I might pull something if I exert myself."

"What do you know about. . ." Ayeka caught herself. "About knitting?"

"Never tried it." Ryoko admitted. "You?"

"Well, I did make Sasami a nice sweater once, but I'm afraid that's a story I won't discuss with you." Ayeka said. "Now let me take my leave _with _Tenchi."

"Before you go completely ballistic?" Ryoko chided.

"Oh, you're one to talk. You fight like a rabid dog."

"Which to some degree can be useful." Tenchi added in. "Come on, Ayeka. Let's go eat breakfast, okay?"

Tenchi hooked her arm around his and headed straight for the door. As they headed down the steps, Ayeka checked to see if Ryoko had followed. She hadn't, which meant she was probably still in her room. Ayeka leaned in close to Tenchi.

"Are you trying to balance us out?" she asked. "You know I can't stand that woman. In addition to what she does to you, I find her overbearing personality impossible to deal with."

"You've never been around anyone like that?" Tenchi asked.

"Never. Ever. We've got a one of a kind annoyance living in this house!" Ayeka paused and caught her temper. "I believe this isn't the time or place to talk about such issues. Discussing that woman makes me feel gravely ill."

Great, now he had two unresolved problems to deal with. He hadn't realized it, but he was trying to set something into motion. A compromise. If he could get those two to like each other, than there would be less of a problem if he ever made a choice between them. Katsuhito's advice still echoed in his mind. All it did was pile more reasons to worry on his back. In any case, his little breakfast skit had soothed the result of the former evening. He hadn't gotten an apology from Ryoko, though. But she did seem to listen to him. This was going to take a lot of work he wasn't really ready for. Still, he was the only one that could do anything about either of them. And he wanted to.

By the time they reached the table, Tenchi didn't feel like eating.

**X**

Ryoko sat down on her bed and began eating the food that Tenchi had brought her. She couldn't decide what to make of her current situation. Tenchi's stalwart resistance to her feminine charms was just as pleasantly aggravating as it always had been. All he needed was a little more coaching. No man could hold out forever. He was just a tough nut to crack. That was why he was so appealing to her and why she'd rehearsed that same exact thought so many times before. It was indeed a dysfunctional cycle and she was beginning to realize that. Still, Ryoko couldn't give him up and hand him over to Ayeka with a ribbon tied around his chest.

If she ever did manage to succeed in seducing him, her victory would hold more than one meaning. None of them would have to do with insatiable lust, though. Ryoko was attracted to Tenchi for the same reasons that Ayeka was. He was a good guy, but at the same time Tenchi was a little bit of a bumbling fool. She couldn't figure out why she found that so attractive. What she had for him was indeed love and her intuition told her he was worth the wait. Hopefully. Ryoko took the cup of sake and guzzled it down, wishing they'd have given her more. An entire jug full would do quite nicely. Ever since she'd arrived, Nobuyuki had taken all the booze out of the house and placed it in Katsuhito's break room. Then again, it wasn't so much of a break room as it was a private kitchen when the old man didn't feel like hauling himself back to the Masaki residence.

"You do love a challenge." Ryoko said to herself. "But perhaps you're just looking for someone to keep you from going back to your old life."

A grin spread across her face as she recalled many of her exploits over the past few years before she had gotten into that terrible tango with Mihoshi. There was no way Tenchi could live like she had. He was too entirely careful. She had to take that into consideration. If she could win his favor, there would be no going back so long as they were together. Given what she had gone through, that was indeed a fair trade. An idea occurred to her as the alcohol warmed her up. Liquor was charismatic. For ages and in many situations she had personally encountered it had been used to soften people up. Just one glass full was enough to lower the guard of any silly light-weight willing to drink it.

Tenchi had to be one of those people. Ryoko couldn't remember ever seeing him drink. Still, getting him drunk wouldn't exactly be appropriate. It wouldn't give him a chance to consent properly. However, getting him tipsy might cause him to see things her way. Although logic began failing after the first full sip, it'd still be functional enough to the point where doing something stupid might not be considered a mistake. At least that's what she told herself. However, one thing was for certain. It would get him to open up. They would get to have a good talk and from there things might finally progress. Perhaps he simply needed to know she cared about his concerns more than Ayeka did. Yes, she would have to be more than Ayeka. Only then would she tip the scales in her favor.

That was enough for her. Getting the required supplies wouldn't be too difficult. She actually did have some money so all that was left to do was go into town. Ryoko had earned the cash through helping Nobuyuki with a couple of unique house plans for extravagantly rich individuals. Just because she was a criminal didn't mean she lacked an education. Oddly enough she'd asked Nobuyuki not to tell anyone about their off and on partnership. It was a bit modest of her, but it helped keep some of her secrets hidden. Ryoko got back to the plan she was forming.

After purchasing the alcohol, she'd mix a mean drink and then hand it to him. Ryoko knew how to use just the right amount to retain the flavor of whatever base she was using, so Tenchi wouldn't know unless he was highly sensitive to taste. Seeing as how he actually managed to eat food cooked by Ayeka when nobody else would, Ryoko figured the odd's were in her favor. Washu used Ayeka's cookies to kill weeds, but that was beside the point. Ryoko wasn't entirely one to talk about poor cooking.

When she finally managed to get into Tenchi's room, she'd have to take a few precautions. As usual. In addition to her usual routine of trapping him, Ryoko planned on putting an invisible barrier up against the window. When Tenchi had actually jumped out of the window last night, he had completely scared the mood out of her. Ryoko clearly hadn't thought of that. The barrier would serve to protect both of them. It would allow Ryoko to carry out her plan and prevent Tenchi from falling three floors again. He was lucky he could still use his legs. With everything set and prepared, she grabbed her money, threw on some casual clothes, and teleported into her usual watering hole. It was the ladies bathroom of some bar that didn't allow foreigners.

_Here we go!_

**X**

The rest of the day passed by without incident, leaving Tenchi feeling very uncomfortable. Usually Ryoko and Ayeka would duke it out three times each day on a good day, but they hadn't fought at all. Whenever Tenchi had looked in Ryoko's direction, she appeared to be deep in thought. It didn't take a genius to figure out that that she was scheming something insidious. Now it was late at night and Tenchi was taking a shower. He hadn't had a chance to take one earlier because he had helped his father with putting in a new basement. His father wanted one so that they could have a game room along with a bar. Whatever else they'd throw down there hadn't been decided yet. Washu was heavily involved in this project and suggested they install another alternate universe. Tenchi would have objected, but Nobuyuki was all for it.

It turned out that manipulating time and space took a lot more work than Tenchi thought it did. The work had completely worn him out. Tenchi finished his shower quickly and dried off. He wrapped the towel around his waist and then headed for his room silently. On his way there, he decided to take a peek inside Ryoko's room. As long as she was in there, he'd be safe. Tenchi popped the door open at about a fraction of an inch and peered inside. She wasn't there. He swallowed a knot in his throat and hurried into his room. Tenchi closed and locked the door, knowing it wouldn't do him much good. He then threw back the covers of his bed. Still no Ryoko.

"Where is she?" he asked himself.

Tenchi searched his entire room. When he was sure that she wasn't around, he dressed. Once he finished, he heard an odd noise behind him. Tenchi turned to see Ryoko's head sticking out of the wall.

"Hi." she greeted normally. "I figured you'd be in bed by now. Helping out with the basement project?"

"Duh." Tenchi said. "And what were you doing all this time, as if I didn't know?" he asked sarcastically.

"Playing with myself." she joked.

Tenchi groaned.

"You need to lighten up. Can I come in?"

"Aren't you already in?" Tenchi asked, slightly annoyed.

"Oh, this? Well, this is kind of like knocking on someone's door for me. Sort of like a live preview of whose on the other side."

"Yes." Tenchi said. "Go ahead and come in. But no funny business!"

"Right, right." Ryoko agreed.

She stepped out of the wall and into his room. Instead of wearing some sexy outfit she had on a new light blue kimono that went along with her hair. That tail thing was around her waist again. _So far __so good_, Tenchi thought. She seemed to be carrying two mugs of some clear soda drink. Ryoko offered him one.

"This is one of those limited edition soda drinks." Ryoko explained. That much wasn't a lie. "You know how the market is every now and then."

Tenchi nodded.

"I figured I'd get you one and we could talk." Ryoko offered.

"About what?" Tenchi asked suspiciously.

"About whatever you fancy." she gave him a look again. "Hey, I'm trying out something new here. Will you play along?"

Tenchi took the mug and noticed Ryoko was watching him carefully. A little to carefully. He pretended to drink from his cup while focusing on Ryoko. She was sweating lightly. Tenchi stopped faking and took a small sip. It was a sweet drink. Far too sweet.

"This has got vodka in it, Ryoko." Tenchi said, disappointed.

"You. . .how did you know that?" Ryoko demanded. "You don't drink! Wait, do you? Ever have a margarita?"

"I heard about vodka from my friends, Ryoko. Some of them say it makes a sweet drink taste a little more sweeter." Tenchi explained. "Don't get too upset. It was a nice try."

There was a very long uncomfortable pause between the two of them. Tenchi placed the mug on his desk and then bolted straight for the window.

"Wait, that's not what I. . ." she didn't have time to finish.

He jumped with his shoulder forward to break the glass. This position would also allow him to roll when he landed. If he pulled it off correctly, he probably wouldn't get hurt. Unlike last time, he hit something solid about an inch away from the window. Without having to ask he knew it was a force field set up by Ryoko. He slammed into it hard. A sick popping noise greeted his ears. The pop was so audible that Ryoko even heard it. Tenchi bounced off and fell to the floor. His face was wrought with pain. Instantly Ryoko realized that she had really blown it this time.

Pain erupted throughout Tenchi's arm and he grabbed his shoulder in pain. He breathed deliberately and tried to will away the agony. Ryoko dropped down beside him, ready to help and possibly redeem herself.

"Tenchi, what hurts?" she asked, almost on the verge of panicking.

"My shoulder!" he yelled. "You dislocated it with that stupid force field! All because you wanted to ride me raw." Tenchi closed his eyes. Tears flowed from them. "Do you have any idea what that does to me? It just doesn't work, Ryoko!"

"I'm. . .I'm sorry." Ryoko said silently.

"Ugh. . .no you're not." Tenchi grunted. "I wonder what else you put in that drink."

"Nothing. I hadn't intended for any of this to happen. All I wanted was for you too loosen up a bit!"

"Oh, dear God." Tenchi said. "Forget about it, just do something!"

Do something? Ryoko could not allow this situation to leave the room. If Katsuhito ever found out, she would be in real big trouble.

"You're sure you dislocated it?" Ryoko asked in a slightly calmer tone. Tenchi nodded.

"Just go get Washu, she'll know what to do." Tenchi said.

"I'll do it myself. All we have to do is put your bone back into its former spot like this."

"We're doing what?" Tenchi shouted.

"I've done this before with my knee. Brace yourself."

Tenchi felt his blood go cold as Ryoko forced his hand off of his shoulder and relocated his shoulder for him. She put her foot on the bulge and used his arm to maneuver the bone back into place. Everything ended with another load pop.

"There you go." Ryoko said breathlessly. "Good as new."

The pain took five seconds to register in Tenchi's mind. This time he did scream. The cat was now officially out of the bag. Ryoko knew that because of her selfish desires Tenchi was now hurt badly. This wasn't good. Sasami and Kiyone suddenly burst into Tenchi's room and surveyed the situation. Ryoko looked away from them in shame. Tears of regret streamed down her face as she sat frozen, completely clueless on what she should do. She would be punished for this, and Ryoko knew that she deserved it. This was to much for her to take.

Ryoko fainted.


	2. No Need For Punishment!

**Chapter #2: No Need For Punishment!**

The sound of something snapping securely around her neck slowly brought Ryoko back into the real world. She opened her eyes. Her vision was instantly blurred by four high-powered lights casting their rays directly on her face. She started feeling the beginning of a massive headache. When she attempted to rub her temples in response to the symptoms, Ryoko found that her arm was pinned down by a powerful strap. Quite quickly she discovered that the same was true for all of her limbs.

"So you're awake." Washu said. There was a hint of regret in her voice. "And not a moment to soon."

The lights above Ryoko were dimmed considerably, causing Ryoko's vision to clear. Washu and Ayeka were standing over her. Being strapped to some table and spotting Washu was a good enough hint that she was somewhere inside the scientist's laboratory. From the look of her surroundings, Ryoko assumed the purpose of this extra chamber had been decided upon at the last minute. In other words, Washu moved everything in here for the sole purpose of doing whatever she had done to Ryoko. The space pirate immediately recognized the bed she was strapped to. It was a particularly nasty device used to restrain criminals who were going to be interrogated. Ryoko had been on one of these before and had never made it a point to try and figure out how to break out of them. As far as she knew, it was impossible. They could be rigged to generate heat or electricity when extreme measures were needed to extract information out of the captive. Just being on it gave her goosebumps and a general sense of unease that was kept in check by the fact that the bed was not hooked up to anything.

Other than the bed, there were the damnable blinding lights. Ryoko could feel herself beginning to sweat under their heat. Why Washu needed about two hundred watts to fiddle around with Ryoko was debatable. The only other inanimate object in the room was a very large table full of blueprints, spare parts, two books, and a couple of tools. The scientist and the princess were the only people in the room with Ryoko. Washu nodded to herself when she noted that Ryoko was completely awake. She summoned the disturbing transparent keyboard she somehow always managed to have on hand. Washu tapped a few keys and the straps that bound Ryoko's limbs were released. She then helped Ryoko sit up. Ayeka stood off to the side and didn't bother interfering. Ryoko became conscious of the odd thing clamped around her neck. It was some type of collar made out of a sleek metal. That must have been the reason why she had been strapped down. Adding Washu's lab into the equation made her worry even more. This thing definitely wasn't some stylish accessory, even though it almost felt like one.

"What's this thing around my neck?" Ryoko asked, glaring dangerously at Washu. "And what about Tenchi? Washu, is he okay?"

"He's fine, Ryoko." Washu said with a reassuring smile. She then became serious. "But you're not."

"What do you mean?"

"About that collar around your neck." Washu said. She was noticeably uncomfortable. "Katsuhito found out what you did and decided to go through with this. You're being disciplined for what happened to Tenchi. Now, don't automatically panic. This punishment is intended to help you out."

"Just get to the point. What's this thing going to do to me?" Ryoko demanded.

"It's going to shock you every time you have a sexual thought." Washu explained.

The enormity of the sentence didn't hit Ryoko for about five seconds. When it finally did, she chuckled lightly and gazed ahead with a blank stare. After about a full minute she snapped.

"What?" Ryoko roared. "It's going to do what? This thing is going to kill me!"

"Will you calm down? The voltage isn't set high enough to send you into a cardiac arrest." Washu assured.

Ryoko looked about ready to totally flip out. Ayeka took a few steps back. Washu reached inside her coat and gripped the rubber butt of a taser she had stuck in there earlier as a safety precaution. Ryoko didn't attack either of them. Instead, she focused all her strength on removing the collar. No matter how hard she pulled or wiggled, the collar stayed in the exact same place. The little sucker was stuck on her tight. Ryoko had seen these things used on dogs before, and that made her even angrier. She wasn't an animal. If they were trying to tame her, they would need to take a different approach. Ryoko attempted to use some of her powers on the collar in an effort to break it apart, but they didn't have the effect she sought for. Her energy didgo through the collar but it seemed to fuse with it, possibly making it stronger or just negating the effect.

Ryoko gave up and turned her attention on Washu.

"Why is this happening?" Ryoko demanded. "This can't be just because of Tenchi. That was an accident!"

"We know." Washu assured. She eased her grip on the taser, sensing everything was currently as normal as it could possibly get. "Try to understand the purpose behind this, Ryoko. It's psychological conditioning. Like I said before, in a way this is going to help you out. The collar is going to relinquish sexually oriented material from your brain by means of an electrical current."

"But it's going to hurt, right?" Ayeka asked.

"Well, there's no helping that."

"Psychological conditioning?" Ryoko said, perplexed. "Relinquish? Do you honestly have to spice up your speech like that? Did you follow any of that you, princess?" Ryoko asked Ayeka.

"I think she's talking about lizards." Ayeka answered with mock honesty. "And I, for one, agree with her."

"Fine, I'll drop the educated rhetoric, you savages!" Washu yelled. "Whenever you think a thought that makes you burn hot with desire, you will be shocked by the shock collar! There, I brought it down to your level."

"That's better." Ryoko said with a satisfied smile and nod.

"Burning?" Ayeka murmured, blushing.

"Hmph! Your level of understanding is so far below mine that it's pitiful and really annoying." Washu grumbled.

Ryoko could have smarted off to that, but she didn't feel like it. Instead she thought the whole thing over once more before speaking again.

"And just what exactly do you consider sexual?" Ryoko asked.

"Anything that could lead to arousal, obviously." Ayeka replied. "Gather your thoughts."

"That's in poor taste." Washu complained. "She's right, though. It is Katsuhito's hope that by doing this you will come to know yourself better and rethink the way you approach Tenchi and any other man you may have feelings for in the future since being so open can send you down the wrong path. Or something. I didn't pay attention to everything he said, but I do know that this procedure will be enriching. But in another way, it is discipline. Both of them go together."

"If you laugh, it might be funny." Ayeka offered.

"I won't. So in order to have this taken off, I have to stop being sexual, right?"

"Bingo." Ayeka said. "You're really in trouble now, aren't you, Ryoko?"

Ayeka chuckled at the situation her rival was in. Ryoko began feeling really nervous. Stop being sexual? How was that at all possible? It seemed every time she heard Tenchi taking a shower she got a sticky idea. Heck, every time she saw Tenchi she had a sticky idea. _I'm not going to last five minutes in this thing!_ She thought in despair.

"In that case, I'm not sexual anymore." Ryoko answered proudly and with as much truth as she could. She then became very venomous. "Now get this thing off!"

"Sorry." Washu said it like she meant it and shrugged. "There are only two ways that thing is coming off. One way to do so is if I unlock it with this special key."

She took a blue metal key from one of her pockets. It was highly distinguishable. Washu allowed Ryoko to get a good look at it before returning it to her coat.

"Was that a good idea?" Ayeka asked Washu. "Should you really have shown her the key?"

"If she touches it, she'll get a shock at twice the normal power." Washu said. "I'm allowing her to see it for reference purposes. Now, the other way to remove that collar will take some effort on your part, Ryoko. You have to truly be sorry for your lustful behavior around Tenchi. At the same time you must realize that sex is something, but it isn't everything in building and maintaining a respectable relationship."

"Is that even possible?" Ryoko asked, aggravated.

"This should make things a little easier for you." Washu offered.

Washu took one of the books off of the table and handed it to Ryoko. The title was anything but modest. _So You're Horny : Taming The Passion Within_. Ryoko examined the spine and saw self help written in yellow letters toward the bottom of the book. She gave it back to Washu. There was no way she was going to resort to reading that kind of material. Ryoko had too much pride for that, although at one time she did find herself reading _Dating For Complete Idiot's_ until she became bored with it and burned it just for fun.

"I can handle myself!" Ryoko affirmed strongly with an intense look on her face.

"Are you sure?" Ayeka asked in a sarcastic tone.

Ryoko looked back at Ayeka in suspicion.

"You're loving every minute of this, aren't you?"

"More like every second, you fiend." Ayeka countered.

"Hmm, why so vicious? Is it that time of the month?"

Ayeka gasped in offense.

"Look at me, I'm bloated." Ryoko pretended to be sick and grabbed her stomach. "I have to make sure everyone else is miserable, too. That makes it fair."

"I'm long past that, Ryoko." Ayeka said.

"That's a great research project, right there." Washu beamed. "After all, I thought that because of suspended animation. . ."

"Silence, don't even think about it! I won't allow you to test for that." she turned her attention on Ryoko. "I bet you're wondering just how much that collar is going to hurt when it shocks you."

Ryoko showed no sign of fear.

"I thought about it." she admitted smugly.

"Washu, might I suggest we give her a direct demonstration?" Ayeka requested.

Washu let out an exasperated sigh. This was going to straight to hell. Ayeka did have a point, though.

"Okay, but only _one _shock, Ayeka. If that's okay with you, Ryoko."

"I might as well find out early." Ryoko said.

The scientist reached inside her coat again and pulled out a simple remote with one large purple button in the center of it. Washu knew that buttons with dangerous consequences were usually red so she picked a different color just to make light of this dismal business.

"This here is the manual control." Washu explained. "I'll bust it right after this is over with. You've already got enough to worry about."

"But isn't making a manual control for something that's automatic a little. . .I dunno, impractical?" Ryoko teased.

Washu was unable to counter that comment right away.

"You're a real bozo sometimes, Ryoko." Washu mumbled.

She would have gone on to explain that the manual control was necessary for stability issues, but she'd just be wasting her breath on the space pirate. Washu handed the remote over to Ayeka, who was perfectly composed. There were no visible signs of how eager she was to test this device out. Ryoko braced herself. This couldn't be as bad as getting hit by that weird weapon Nagi carried around. Heck, at one point in her life she'd been shot by a stun gun carried by a Galaxy Police officer that was cranked all the way up to super-bake and she still managed to function properly. Her collar had to be a joke. At least for her sake, anyway.

Ayeka placed the remote in the palm of her left hand and then looked over at Washu for confirmation.

"Just zap her." Washu insisted. "Let's get this over with."

Ayeka pressed the button. The collar around Ryoko's neck beeped audibly and then sent a wave of electricity coursing through her body. The force of the shock was so unexpected that it sent her reeling off of the table directly into the floor. After five whole seconds the collar stopped feeding voltage to her throat. Ryoko coughed so hard she thought she was going to force a lung up. Her previous assumption had been disproved. This annoying little gadget really did hurt. A lot. Just about as bad as getting slapped across the face with Nagi's little French rapier sidearm. She could feel herself shaking involuntarily as a result of the charge. Ryoko didn't bother trying to hide how much it effected her.

"Good God!" Ryoko yelled, coughing violently in-between her speech. "What setting is this thing on?"

"Judging from your reaction, it's to high. I'll have to adjust the output level." Washu pondered aloud.

"Washu!" Ryoko growled. "How come you couldn't do that before you put the collar on?"

"Because I was sort of working under a time limit, namely when you would wake up. The normal level isn't much better, Ryoko. It's suppose to feel like you've been hit with a stun baton."

"Well, I _have _been hit by a stun baton. Three of them at once, to be exact." Ryoko assured.

"Oooh, that must have been quite the confrontation." Washu said admirably.

Washu once again consulted the table full of items. From it she took a tool that looked vaguely like a screwdriver.

"Sit back down on the table and hold your hair up for me." Washu instructed Ryoko.

Ryoko did as she was told. Washu inserted the tool into a small slot. Ten small green bars appeared alongside each other in a row right next to the tiny hole. They were all lit up. Washu adjusted them until only five of them remained visible. As she did so, the collar made another audible noise. This time it let off a decreasing buzz.

"That should do it." Washu said, removing her odd tool. "Ayeka, give her another shock."

"But of course, Little Washu." Ayeka said.

"Let me stand up first!" Ryoko insisted angrily. "I don't want to fall off of this table again."

She stood up and gave Washu a nod, who in turn gave Ayeka a nod. The princess pressed the button. The collar beeped. Electricity rocketed through every vein in Ryoko's body. This time it wasn't as painful, but she still wouldn't greet the sensation openly. Ryoko counted past five seconds. Ten seconds. Fifth-teen seconds. Something was wrong. Ayeka froze up. Ryoko's sustained grunt became an aggravated scream when she realized that the thing had gone haywire. When she tried telling Washu, it came out as disjointed babble. Washu looked at her curiously and then realized what was going on. Ryoko dropped to the floor, jerking violently and crying out in pain. By this time Ayeka had snapped out of it and began pushing the button rapidly, hoping that maybe it would stop the thing.

Ryoko was almost in enough pain to pass out. In fact, she actively sought to do so. It wouldn't hurt as much if she was knocked out.

"Washu, stop this crazy thing!" Ayeka said.

Washu snatched the remote out of Ayeka's hands and threw it to the floor. It shattered completely on impact. The collar abruptly stopped shocking Ryoko. Smoke rose off of her body and tiny bolts of electricity shot off her at random, almost like some kind of quasi force field. She panted heavily and trembled violently, trying to recover from the experience. Washu helped her sit up.

"The button must have gotten stuck." Washu said. "On top of that, I'll have to readjust how long the shock lasts."

"You think?" Ryoko spat.

"Let me take another look at it."

"The hell you will. Get your hands off me!" Ryoko shouted. "Don't you dare touch me!"

She backed away quickly. Washu could see fear in Ryoko's eyes. Enough fear to have driven her into an unpredictable state of mind. Not surprisingly, she began to try and pry off the collar again with renewed determination. It sickened Washu. Still, this was all for a good cause.

"Would you just please calm down?" Washu asked. "You are making this far worse than it is. Besides, you know how my inventions can sometimes go haywire."

Admitting she'd made a mistake wasn't easy, but it was necessary under the circumstances. In fact, that was a lie. None of this was her fault. The collar was to blame. It should have been functioning properly. In any case, none of what she said had an effect on Ryoko's mood.

"Calm down? How am I suppose to calm down with this on my neck?" Ryoko pointed at the collar. "This isn't discipline. It's torture. You know that, Washu."

"But it will help you." Washu insisted. "Look, I'm tired of repeating myself so that's the last time I'm going to say it. Quit making up things and listen to what I'm saying!"

"Ryoko, just let Washu fix her mistake." Ayeka said.

"This is. . ." Ryoko began, but trailed off momentarily. "This is unfair."

Even though Ryoko was currently at a severe disadvantage, she'd just have to move on. She hadn't even encountered a situation yet in which the collar did what it was designed to do. Up until now all the shocks she'd received were due to Washu's ignorance. Perhaps it wouldn't be to optimistic of her to figure that staying away from Tenchi until she could sort things out might be easy. Then again, she had other things on her mind right now besides him.

The damn collar made her feel like she was in prison. But unlike actually being imprisoned, there was an obvious way out of her predicament. She began scheming.

_I've got to get that key before this thing kills me, but I'll have to wait. _Ryoko thought. _I can't try anything funny right now. _

Ayeka seethed noticeably. Unfair? Why, when this was all over, it was possible Tenchi would like Ryoko more. It was good that she hadn't figured that out for herself yet. Ayeka kept quiet and doused the depressing thought. There was still a lot more she could do to improve her odds.

"I can't believe this is happening to me." Ryoko said. "I love interventions. It looks like Katsuhito will shape me into what he wants. Or rather should I say, the family will make me into what they want. Far be it from me to be myself, right Washu?"

"Whatever keeps you going, I guess. Think that if you want." Washu responded indifferently. "I'm tired of repeating myself."

Washu then made the necessary adjustments.

"There. All finished."

"Should we test it again?" Ayeka asked.

"As if we're already not having enough fun at my expense." Ryoko replied. "Let's give it another go. I'd like for this thing to be perfect when I leave so I don't go marching to my death."

"It's ready for action." Washu said. "The manual control is busted, so I guess you'll have to think about something dirty. If only I had a manual control, though. Oh, wait! Why would I need one in the first place? Silly me, how impractical!"

"Okay." Ryoko muttered darkly. "Here I go."

A thought occurred. The collar beeped. Ryoko received a brief but reprimanding zap that shook up her entire body. It was an alarming sensation that made her jerk upright and didn't quite feel that dissimilar to falling into a frozen lake. She sighed in pained frustration. Washu nodded in approval and turned to face Ayeka.

"I hope you realize the severity of Ryoko's situation." Washu said. "Try not to bother her."

Washu took a few steps forward and let the beginning of her instructions sink in.

"Furthermore, I suggest you two stay away from each other for a while. If any advantage of this collar is taken, it might damage the underlining psychological purpose behind it. Remember, we're aiming for a refined Ryoko for then we shall have a truly unique friend indeed."

"How is this psychological, again?" Ayeka asked.

"You mean to tell me you don't know anything about psychology?" Washu asked incredulously. "This is Skinner's pigeons all over again!"

"Not everyone is a genius, Washu. I use that term loosely." Ryoko added in.

Washu's tolerance broke.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Washu asked. "We've got books in this house. Read 'em! It's a lot healthier than fighting over a certain wishy-washy teen-age boy whom I refuse to name! And that's besides the point. Psychology is a core class in almost every single university on Earth and Jurai. You two can't tell me you've never been previously exposed to the famous Pavlov experiments in classical conditioning, can you?"

They shook their heads sheepishly.

"Well, I refuse to explain it. You don't have to understand something in order for it to work."

"Don't be like that, Washu." Ayeka pleaded. "Who is this Pavlov and what did he experiment on?"

"I'm surrounded by morons!" Washu cried.

"I'm on Earth's classical literature right now." Ayeka said defensively. "They're better than those light novels Ryoko keeps reading."

"Haruhi will eventually become classical literature with all of the awards it's getting." Ryoko rebutted.

There was a knock on the door. The emotions in the room were temporarily put on pause. Nobuyuki poked his head in.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I just came to tell you that dinner is ready."

He looked at Ryoko and noticed her collar.

"Oh! Washu, I like the design you put on that thing."

Ryoko blinked.

"You designed this worthless piece of junk? What's it look like?"

Ayeka sighed and reached inside her kimono. She pulled out a small container of foundation and tossed it over to Ryoko. It popped open with no effort at all. Apparently Ayeka used it a lot. The mirror was clean, though. Ryoko positioned it to get a good look at the collar. It was dark purple with many grooves cut into the metal to make it look slightly appealing. Or perhaps those grooves helped carry along electricity. Maybe they did both.

"I hate purple." Ryoko complained.

Washu held her tongue. Ryoko tossed the foundation kit over to Ayeka, who caught it easily and placed it back inside her kimono. Without saying another word, she left with Nobuyuki to go and eat. This left Ryoko and Washu alone in the same room. Washu quickly tried to exit because she knew what was coming next. Ryoko wasn't the hardest person in the world to predict.

"How much money do you want to remove this collar?" Ryoko asked in a sly tone.

Washu slowly turned around to face Ryoko, who was grinning in a way that upset her.

"You don't have enough." Washu snapped.

"How about five hundred dollars?" Ryoko bargained.

"More like five hundred billion dollars. . ." Washu muttered. "Everyone else gets a bail out, why can't science?"

"Well, could you take it off for just a minute? It itches like crazy."

"Ryoko, don't take me for a fool. I know all your dirty tricks and they won't work on me. Don't even think you can persuade me into doing what you want."

Ryoko looked down at Washu's feet and gasped.

"Washu, your shoe is untied!" Ryoko announced.

"It is?" Washu said. "That's impossible, these things tie themselves!"

"They malfunctioned! Fix them!"

Washu couldn't help but look down and check. Ryoko's flipped her upside the nose. Washu yelled in surprise and held her nose tightly to subdue the small amount of pain she was feeling.

"That was good." Ryoko said while laughing. "Consider that payback for this gaudy hunk of scrap metal you've equipped me with."

"Can't go a day without settling a score, can you?" Washu said while rubbing her nose. "Now don't you forget what I said about staying away from Ayeka. She's got some irrational unresolved issues with you. With the way you are now, I wouldn't try to start any fights. I know it's no use telling you that as you'll just go and do whatever you want, but I just thought I'd mention that so you don't come crying to me about it later. Now I'm going to go get something to eat."

"Irrational?" Ryoko repeated, confused.

Washu quickly she located a Webster and threw it at Ryoko as hard as she could manage.

**X**

Ryoko lost count of how many times she had been shocked after the total flew past twenty. This was all accomplished within half an hour. The shocks were small but sharp enough to get their point across very well. Apparently the sexual thoughts didn't even have to deal with Tenchi. That made her stop watching television. They also seemed to take effect whenever she thought of a dirty joke. That made her stop reading comical manga. In general, she couldn't even think about thinking dirty or it'd set the little bastard off. Ryoko also discovered that the power of the shock varied with the intensity of the fantasies she had. As for Tenchi, she couldn't find him anywhere. Ryoko learned from Sasami that he had gone to train with Katsuhito for a while. It was all part of some process to get him back into shape. After all, it had been awhile since he'd last used any of his skills.

It probably was also a way to keep Tenchi away from her until she learned her boundaries. Katsuhito was either turning into a bitter, senile jerk or had a perfectly logical reason to get some exercise in Tenchi and tame her at the same time. Ryoko felt betrayed and lost, and even worse whenever she thought about Tenchi in intimate ways. The infernal collar was doing well to keep her sex drive down. It also made her hair fall out of place. Gel didn't stand up well to electricity, so she decided against keeping it fancy for now. Besides, her hair didn't look too bad when it was kept straight and normal. Unable to daydream about Tenchi, she was left feeling very bored. Ryoko began feeling so dull that she decided to help Nobuyuki with the basement project. Washu's subspace dimension had finished creating itself to his specifications later in the evening and he was eager to start moving a few things down into the new area of the house.

She ignored Nobuyuki's obvious appreciation. Ryoko felt so dull it was pitiful. The collar on her neck seemed to be slowly sapping her energy away. Covered with sweat, she decided it was best to take a bath. A good bath always washed away all of her problems. She entered the palatial spa/bath thing Washu had constructed in Tenchi's bathroom and took up a hidden spot well away from where everyone normally bathed. Absently she washed herself while being very careful not to think sexually. After all, if that collar were to suddenly go off in an area surrounded in water, she'd be fried to a crisp. Instead, she focused on several other things such as books she'd read and stuff she wanted to do sometime in the future. Her hidden intellect had resurfaced during her Tenchi free introspection and kept her occupied all throughout the bath.

Ryoko emerged from the refreshing bath feeling slightly better. She dressed herself in her standard blue kimono along with the tail accessory. Ryoko picked up her dirty working clothes that she had worn while helping out with the basement and teleported to the washroom and set them in the washer. While she was at it and because she had nothing better to do, she placed in everyone else's dirty laundry while muttering darkly to herself about the current situation. If the collar would zap her for cursing, she'd be dead at that moment. After getting the cleaning process started, Ryoko washed her hands in a nearby sink before teleporting to the front of her room. She sighed as she slid the door open. The only thing left to do now was sleep. That wouldn't bring her any peace, though.

She knew instinctively that the collar was also programmed to monitor her dreams, which she did not always knowingly control. Suddenly she felt someone behind her and she looked over her shoulder. Ayeka was walking towards her.

"What do you want?" Ryoko asked dully.

"Did it ever occur to you that I might be going somewhere else?" Ayeka asked.

"In that case, get lost."

"Your hostility honestly knows no bounds, does it?" Ayeka said, getting gradually more annoyed.

"Are you looking to pick a fight? I am in no mood to argue with you. I always win anyway." Ryoko gasped, catching herself. "Wait, just forget about what I said. You remember I'm at a severe disadvantage, right? So let's just quit now while we're ahead, okay?"

"Still the same as always. . ." Ayeka said, narrowing her eyes. "Nothing can humble you, can it?"

"Are we even talking about the same thing anymore?" Ryoko asked.

There was a tense pause between the two rivals. Ryoko was at a complete loss.

"Let's see how much you've learned today." Ayeka stated.

Ryoko was about ready to turn around and run when she was hit with an attack that she couldn't possibly avoid.

"Whatever you do. . ." Ayeka began. "Don't even think about Tenchi intimately."

Instantly Ryoko thought of it, but only for a brief second before dropping the subject. The response time of the collar must have been done to a fraction of a millisecond because it responded anyway by zapping her quite fiercely. She grunted and stumbled back a few steps, but didn't dare to scream in pain or fall. Ryoko quickly regained her composure and looked at Ayeka with something far beyond hate in her eyes. Inside Ryoko was something more deadly than wrath and it was all she could do to control it.

"Ayeka. . ." Ryoko breathed. "What are you trying to pull?"

"What would you have done in that cave? I wonder." Ayeka continued, ignoring Ryoko's question. "Care to share?"

The resulting thought garnered a powerful shock that sent her to the floor on her hands and knees. Ryoko grunted in pain and tried to stand back up. She had to use the wall for support and even then she struggled to regain her balance. Ryoko was about to whip out her blade so she could stun Ayeka when her rival struck again with the most lethal attack she could.

"Oral sex." Ayeka said, wiping at her mouth once she finished.

"Oh, Ayeka!" Ryoko gasped in pure disbelief.

That was a new one. Ryoko never could have guessed that Ayeka would say something like that. Moreover, she didn't think Ayeka even knew what it was. She'd probably heard of it from someone. After the brief pause, the thought set in. Just the thought of. . .

–ZAP!–

Her strength gave out and she collapsed forcefully to the floor. Ryoko could no longer find the strength to get up. She was forced to recover while being completely defenseless to her assailant.

"I think I smell bacon." Ayeka declared. "You should be grateful for some of the things you have. Some of the things you're able to do. But you're not. Instead you derive pleasure from picking on those you deem beneath you. I won't even begin to discuss my feelings toward your abundant and seemingly infinite desire to get into Tenchi's pants."

"We both have our own problems." Ryoko said, breathing heavily. "Do I sense a tinge of jealousy in your voice? Are you concerned with the amount of attention I'm getting?"

Ayeka didn't respond.

"Could Katsuhito secretly be lining me up for Tenchi?" Ryoko asked with a grin. "With my impulsive behavior in check, perhaps I could finally begin to warm up to Tenchi's fickle heart."

Ayeka gritted her teeth together and cursed the fact that Ryoko had finally thought of that as well.

"Were you like this before?" Ayeka demanded. "Did you behave like this around other men?"

Ryoko gave Ayeka a dangerous look.

"I keep my past to myself." Ryoko said. "But would you believe me anyway if I said no?"

"Just this once." Ayeka answered honestly.

"Were you always like this around other men?" Ryoko taunted. "No wonder you were in the middle of all those marriage meetings. The men you had feelings for couldn't tell you cared."

"It works fine on Tenchi. Sixty nine!"

"Huh? Oh, that."

-ZAP!-

"Damn you!"

Ryoko convulsed on the floor while footsteps distracted Ayeka from continuing her lecture. Tenchi stepped into view and stood on the landing. Apparently he'd heard the ruckus they were making and got stuck with having to come up and investigate. It was his turn to do so, after all. Tenchi saw Ryoko trembling on the floor and Ayeka standing over her. Though he could not be sure what was going on, he had a pretty good idea that it dealt with him in some way shape or form. Whatever the issue happened to be, they looked as though they were in the middle of a fight, which failed to surprise Tenchi. It looked as though Ayeka was winning this one.

"Ayeka?" Tenchi asked, obviously confused. "What's going on up here?"

"I'm seeing what our resident bimbo has managed to derive out of her punishment. Well, Ryoko?" Ayeka expected an answer. "I knew this wouldn't work. You're too stubborn for it."

"Don't talk to me like you know who I am." Ryoko said.

Black hatred came into Ryoko. This fueled her enough to get her to stand up straight. She grabbed Ayeka by the shoulders and then thought of the most erotic fantasy she could possibly muster. Electricity soared through both of their bodies and Ayeka screamed in pain. The force of the sudden energy burst threw Tenchi back, but he wasn't harmed. Ayeka struggled to get free, but Ryoko held her tight as the shocking went on. This was Ryoko's personal revenge for Ayeka's antics.

"AHH!" Ryoko roared at the top of her lungs. "It's excruciatingly painful but it's worth it!"

Ryoko clenched her teeth tight and began to think about. . .

_This version of the story is censored. If this version of the story were to be released on this site it would have to be rated NC-17. Please use your imagination and pardon the interruption. The story shall now resume at a more appropriate point._

. . .would more than likely void the warranty of the mattress.

"How does it feel, Ayeka? It hurts, doesn't it? I know!" Ryoko asked. "Now maybe you'll be a little more empathetic."

"Alright, you win!" Ayeka consented. "Just let me go!"

"Ryoko, please stop!" Tenchi pleaded.

She looked over at Tenchi and snapped out of it. Ryoko ceased her fantasies and released Ayeka, who staggered forward a few steps before collapsing to the floor a smoking heap. Tenchi ran over to Ayeka and helped her sit up. Ayeka began coughing heavily as Tenchi held her in his arms. Ryoko gave him a frown for doing this, but Tenchi didn't notice.

"Why me?" Ayeka wondered aloud.

Tenchi looked back at Ryoko and almost opened his mouth when Ryoko held up a hand to stop him.

"I was minding my own business, Tenchi. She attacked me first!" Ryoko stated strongly while pointing at herself for emphasis. "Physically, at least."

Ryoko was trying very hard to sound honest. A part of her figured Tenchi wasn't buying it due to the stories she had told him in the past that Ayeka always had a different version for. The fact was that Ryoko wasn't the one who was lying. At least that's how she saw it in her mind. She'd held on to her childhood experiences with Ayeka so tightly that she believed them to be the truth, even if they had at one time been a lie. Ryoko believed Ayeka really was a stuck-up jerk back then until she had matured. Ryoko took that back. She was still a snob, though. That hadn't changed at all.

"If it weren't for her, I'd. . .." Ayeka rambled almost incoherently.

Ryoko pulled at her hair in frustration for a moment. After regaining restraint she took a deep breath and looked directly into Tenchi's eyes.

"So, who are you going to believe?" she asked calmly.

This was one of those loaded questions again. It seemed that Ryoko enjoyed asking them a bit more than Ayeka did, which made her slightly more difficult to talk to when Tenchi actually got around to having a decent conversation with her. That hadn't been for a while, though. Since dealing with problems of this enormity wasn't really his strong point, he decided to divert this matter in his own direction.

"Didn't Washu tell both of you to stay away from each other?" Tenchi asked.

It was the best he could come up with under these circumstances and at first it appeared to work, because he noticed Ryoko was thrown off by the question. Ayeka held her breath for a few seconds. They were both thinking up defensive responses but he was mainly expecting Ryoko to answer, as he was looking at her.

"It's kind of hard to stay away from someone when they live in the same house as you, Tenchi." Ryoko explained. "So what are you going to do about it? Put collars on both of us?"

There was no doubting her skill in verbal jabs. Tenchi felt the full impact of that one.

"Whoa, I didn't mean it like that." Tenchi said lightly. "I wasn't the one who agreed to that collar. Grandpa had the idea."

"And you didn't try to stop him?" Ryoko asked, heavily disappointed.

Actually, Tenchi figured that this entire ordeal would add more stress to the family than what it was worth, but Katsuhito insisted that it was for the better and Ryoko would have trouble learning to control herself through any other method. He added in some samurai bunk as well. Something about how everyone needs to mature or they won't be able to follow the code of Bushido properly as its art was in dying and you couldn't necessarily accept that unless you truly had some guile. Maybe he'd heard that from somewhere else. Washu supported Katsuhito's idea impassively and added that Ryoko had a vibrant, strong personality that usually only came out when she was drunk around other women.

Tenchi had never seen that side of her since being around Ryoko while she was drunk happened to be a ticket for trouble. Those issues had none to do with what was currently in front of him, though. Before he could answer, Ayeka leaned out of his embrace and stood up weakly.

"They're right, Ryoko." Ayeka chimed in, sounding quite exhausted. "Sometimes I can't even remember what starts our fights."

"Don't try to cover my question, Ayeka." Ryoko said sternly.

"I did object." Tenchi said honestly. "Ask Kiyone. I talked to her about it first."

"Why Kiyone?" Ayeka asked.

Tenchi shook his head.

"Because. . ." Tenchi asked. "Can I say something blunt without intentionally offending you two?"

Ryoko rolled her eyes and nodded. Ayeka rubbed absently at her left shoulder and made the same gesture.

"She's kind of. . .I dunno, balanced?" Tenchi said tentatively. "Kiyone doesn't have a bias."

"Figures." Ryoko muttered under her breath.

This was almost like an actual fight in itself. A battle of words, so to speak. Tenchi saw this momentary lapse in accusations and questions of where his love was as an opening, which he took aggressively.

"In any case, it looks like the fight is over." Tenchi said, trying hard not to sound as though he were announcing the end of this encounter.

"Yes, it does." Ryoko said silently.

Tenchi kicked himself. There really was no fooling Ryoko and if Ayeka was bothered by his eagerness to turn tail and run she didn't bother showing it. Ryoko didn't waste any more time in the hallway. She turned around and entered her room, briskly closing the door and locking it. Ayeka sighed deeply and headed for the stairs.

"I think I'm going to take a walk." she muttered to herself.

And just like that, everything came to a close. Tenchi leaned against a nearby wall and gathered his thoughts. Situations like this would continue to occur until he finally made his choice between the two women. There was no doubt about that. But why was it so hard for them to try and get along? Tenchi had occasionally witnessed both of them doing some type of activity together peacefully, such as watching television while commenting on what they viewed in a friendly manner or reading in the same room. There also seemed to be an art in the way they fought, but Tenchi hadn't quite figured out any of the procedures quite yet.

It was as though they sometimes tried to find a way to get along but due to their personalities being polar opposites they could never hold a proper truce. Or maybe fighting was their way of not killing each other, which was ironic but still a possibility. He regarded Ryoko's earlier question of who he thought started the fight. That was easy. The damn collar had. It was apparently making Ryoko edgy and more prone to mood swings. The purpose behind the collar seemed to be bothering Ayeka slightly, and Tenchi could take a good guess as to why that was. With most of her deviance removed, she'd be easier for him to get along with. She probably figured that if that happened, the odds may take a sudden fall out of her favor. Ayeka viewed her opinion of intimacy in a relationship as her best selling point since it was a lot like Tenchi's. If Ryoko suddenly were to think more along the same lines as she did, that would create a problem.

Then again, Tenchi might be going in the wrong direction with that one. He already realized that he too was part of this mess due to his attitude and insecure preoccupations with his own life. Just touching on that subject worked him up more so than weighing what he liked and disliked about the women he lived with. Tenchi had to give himself credit with getting better over time, but he hadn't yet found a flawless way to correctly handle his aspirations and the way he saw his future. It was useless to reflect on that, though. He usually preferred to deal with things as they came along. And what of the two girls competing for his companionship? There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Ryoko was a sexual person. It was something Tenchi could sympathize with just a little, but why did she have such a difficult time controlling herself and learning that it only made him feel uncomfortable around her? And what would happen after she got what she wanted out of him? He couldn't figure that out. Tenchi did kind of have strong feelings for her, but he also held Ayeka in high regard.

Put simply, Ayeka was a decent, cultured individual whenever she wasn't around Ryoko. Ayeka's temperament allowed for patience whereas Ryoko was more or less looking for instant gratification. She also was rather quiet about intimacy. In fact, Tenchi had never heard her mention it once before. Ayeka stood to receive. Ryoko was fine with giving. Ayeka thought love was something precious. She understood that true love meant caring for her mate and not forcing anything upon him. How Ryoko thought of love was probably more complex than the princess. He guessed from what he knew about her that she probably considered it a mutual partnership. That suited her personality. Love was trivial, but nobody should be alone. Except for the passion. Passion is good. Love is iffy. Tenchi nodded solemnly in approval. That sounded like her.

This wasn't the first time he'd spent some time trying to figure both of them out and it sadly wouldn't be his last because he didn't come to a resolute conclusion. No matter who he decided to choose when it came time, they both had their good side and bad side. That was the true reality of the triangle he'd become entangled in. He dropped all the thoughts of who to pick and focused on the present. Ayeka had gone off for a walk. She was probably itching to do some serious introspection, just as he had. Whenever Ayeka did this she usually came back in a better mood. She would be fine on her own.

Ryoko, however, had retreated into her room. That collar really was wearing her down if she was truly tired so early in the evening. He felt like offering her as much consolation for it as he could. After all, he didn't think he was on good terms with her at the moment. Tenchi gathered up his courage and decided to talk this out with her if she wanted to, kind of like he had done with Kiyone, who pretty much would give guidance to anyone. That included Mihoshi if she was in a good enough mood. He knocked on her door a couple of times. Ryoko didn't answer. Tenchi bit his bottom lip and felt his spirits sink.

"Ryoko?" Tenchi called.

There was silence for a moment.

"Do you want to talk about this?" Tenchi asked, trying to sound helpful.

"I'm very tired, Tenchi." came Ryoko's reply. "Today has not been a good day."

"Boy, that's the truth." Tenchi muttered.

"I think I'll try and sleep it off." Ryoko said.

"Ryoko. . .I'm sorry this is happening." Tenchi admitted. He meant it, too. "Try not to change, alright? Just do what you need to do to get that collar off."

He was about to walk away when Ryoko opened her door to him. She didn't do so in order to invite him in. This was silently evident by her demeanor and the way she was standing in the doorway. Ryoko beckoned him to come closer and since she hadn't been shocked, Tenchi approached her without hesitation.

"Why did he do it?" Ryoko asked. "Does he hate me that much?"

"Grandpa always has been pretty hard with discipline." Tenchi said sadly. "He does like you, though. I think."

Ryoko arched an eyebrow at him.

"You think?"

"I'm sure he's got a good reason for it, Ryoko." Tenchi continued. "Nobody will be able to get it out of him, though."

"Do you know anything about Pavlov?" Ryoko asked. "Washu mentioned him as sort of an underlining principle to what's happening to me."

"I don't know who you're talking about." Tenchi admitted.

"Damn it." she paused. "Well, I think I'm going to sleep now."

She was about to close the door when Tenchi grabbed the edge of it to prevent her from doing so. Ryoko have him a surprised look. Tenchi smiled feebly.

"I. . .I think you're hair looks really good down, Ryoko. I thought you might like to know that just in case you ever don't want to take the time to style it because you really don't have to."

She smiled brightly with gratitude.

"Thank you. I appreciate that." Ryoko said.

Tenchi let go of the door and allowed her to close it. From behind the door, he could hear her sniffling. Obviously he'd gotten to her. Hopefully his compliment had convinced her that he hadn't been adamantly supportive of the shock collar. As he left to go find something to occupy himself with, he hoped with a heavy heart that this would all be over with soon.

**X**

Everyone but Ryoko was gathered around the dinner table. As they ate, Tenchi noticed that it was almost one in the afternoon and Ryoko still hadn't gotten up. That wasn't like her. He chose to worry about it after he'd finished eating the delicious meal Sasami had prepared. If he dwelled on upsetting thoughts now, he would lose his appetite. Even so, he did have to admit that he got a good nights sleep as he didn't have to worry about Ryoko sneaking in on him. He was sure that he dreamed about something, but he couldn't remember it. Besides, it really didn't matter anyway.

"Tenchi, where's Ryoko?" Sasami asked curiously. "She should be up already."

Apparently he wasn't the only one who was concerned.

"Why don't you go check on her, Tenchi?" Katsuhito asked in a calm tone.

Even though it sounded like a simple request, it was far from it. Katsuhito was hinting that he wanted this to be done. Now, if at all possible. Or else. Absolutely under no circumstances did anybody want any of Katsuhito's else. What exactly his else was happened to be a common debate subject amongst the Masaki home when they were bored beyond any means of redemption, the old geezer wasn't around, or when they had nothing better to do. Nobody had arrived at any conclusions though everyone had his or her favorite opinion and none of them, including Mihoshi, were stupid enough to try and get Katsuhito to show them a little of his else.

Therefore, with that in mind, Tenchi was quite willing to bolt at his request.

"All right." Tenchi said.

Ayeka stood up with the intent to follow Tenchi. Katsuhito gave her a slight glare, which made her sit back down again. It was probably best if she didn't go with him. Katsuhito must have known that. Tenchi chose to ignore that little incident and headed up to Ryoko's room. When he got to her door, he tried the handle. The door wasn't locked. He half expected to find her sleeping naked again. She had not, probably because sleeping in the nude was somewhat erotic and might stimulate feelings that the collar didn't agree with. When he approached her beside, her features didn't look any better than yesterday. Her hair was still down and a bit tussled.

He began to wonder if the collar was actually doing it's job. Tenchi forced himself to believe that this was for her own good. It was teaching her things that she needed to realize in order to lead a better life. But then again, perhaps her way of life was better for her emotional well-being. Even if she was learning to calm down, Ryoko had held on to her intimate feelings toward Tenchi for far too long to have them destroyed by the device. Ryoko was wild. There was no way to tame her. Simply put, the collar was a bad idea and once that thing came off there would be no telling what direction she would take. Tenchi put his thoughts aside for the moment and tapped on Ryoko's shoulder until she stirred.

"Time to get up." Tenchi announced. "It's way past noon."

Ryoko sluggishly sat up in bed and looked at him. Her eyes were bloodshot and she didn't appear to be in a good mood.

"I didn't get any sleep last night." Ryoko said. "Every time I drifted off, I thought of you."

"That must not have been good." Tenchi said sympathetically. "Would you like to try and get some more rest, then?"

"What I would like. . ." Ryoko began viciously. "Is this damn thing off my neck!"

Her tone startled Tenchi considerably. Ryoko sighed and shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that." Ryoko said silently. "Looks like I'll just have to get some strong sleeping pills from Washu so I don't dream tonight."

Ryoko hopped out of bed and staggered into her restroom. The sound of running water emitted from behind the closed door. He could vaguely hear her working with her hair. Tenchi looked at a nearby clock and began timing her, as he always had been interested in how long it took for her to get that style perfect. After about five minutes she emerged from the bathroom with her hair set in that gravity defying rebellious look she always wore. She was also wearing a kimono similar to her standard blue one, only it was colored in various shades of red. The only thing revealing that she'd had a bad night were her eyes.

"That was quick." Tenchi said, baffled.

"What was quick?" Ryoko asked.

"Your. . .your. . ." Tenchi trailed off.

He decided to use body language instead and brushed at his hair to ask what he couldn't bring himself to say.

"It takes a lot of practice." Ryoko said with a small smile.

Tenchi and Ryoko hurried down the stairs together to the dinner table. It looked as though everyone was about to finish their meals. Ryoko obviously hadn't even started yet. Upon seeing them, Ayeka got up from her seat and presented a box of disinfectant wipes to Tenchi.

"What are these for?" Tenchi asked.

"To make sure you didn't catch any germs on that trip." Ayeka said. She turned to Ryoko. "And that was not a direct insult so don't even start."

"Come on, Ayeka." Sasami said. "Ryoko doesn't have germs."

"But she does have dirty laundry." Ayeka countered. "Who knows how long that red kimono has been sitting on her bedroom floor?"

"It's new." Sasami pressed. "And Ryoko did all the laundry the other day. She just didn't tell anybody about it."

"How humble." Washu complimented.

Ryoko took the wipes from Ayeka and was about to incinerate them when she suddenly noticed Mihoshi. Ryoko didn't make it a point to do that very much. Her act of consciously regarding Mihoshi had nothing to do with a pleasant exchange of timely greetings. Mihoshi could be used to get the key Washu had in her lab. It was so agonizingly simple Ryoko nearly criticized herself for not thinking about it earlier. Best of all, Ryoko hadn't tried anything funny the last couple of days so Washu might be a little less attentive to the security of her lair. Talking to Mihoshi would require a lot of patience and even more persistence, but Ryoko was sure she could get her help on this little task.

Yes, it was time for her to break out of the collar the unintended way. She felt incredibly relieved at the thought of being able to break free from the collar that prevented her from expressing herself. If she still had enough energy at the end of the day, which didn't seem likely, she might just pay Tenchi a special visit. If not tonight, then perhaps tomorrow. Whenever it happened. . .

- ZAP! -

"Holy asparagus, Ryoko!" Nobuyuki shouted. "Disinfectant wipes turn you on? Kinky." he said with a perverted grin.

Everyone but Nobuyuki took a plunge into the floor, groaning in disgust.


	3. No Need For Feelings!

**Chapter #3: No Need For Feelings!**

Ryoko was about ready to sneak out back and snag Mihoshi when Ayeka suddenly approached her. The space pirate whipped around defensively and tried giving her a glare that would make her scuttle away, but Ayeka merely stood there, looking sad.

"I'd like to apologize for the incident we went through the other day." Ayeka said sincerely.

"That's a first. What made that confrontation any different from the others we've had?" Ryoko asked coyly.

"The fact that you were indeed at a disadvantage. We can have a rematch later if you'd like."

"A rematch?" Ryoko asked. "No thanks. I'll just fight harder the next time we need to colorfully settle a disagreement."

"Very well then." Ayeka concluded.

_Now that your conscience is clear, go away! _Ryoko thought. Ayeka clumsily backed out of their momentary conversation. Ryoko waited a little while longer to walk outside and catch Mihoshi on the back porch. That was where she usually went. Viewing nature apparently was something that relaxed her. She even once told Kiyone she was able to think better while doing so. Whatever her response had been wasn't part of the story. After ten minutes, a very impatient space pirate walked outside and scurried around the perimeter of the house, heading for her intended destination. Ryoko could feel her heart slamming against her chest as her anticipation was rising.

Ryoko peered around a corner of the house and spotted Mihoshi sitting down on the back porch with her legs crossed and a blank smile on her face. She took a very deep breath and tried to relax herself. When Ryoko was sure her composure was good enough, she casually walked out from behind the corner and approached Mishohi in the most non-conspicuous way possible. She seated herself beside the Galaxy Police officer and greeted her cheerfully.

"Hey, Mihoshi!" Ryoko greeted cheerfully. "It sure is a beautiful day, isn't it?"

Ryoko slapped Mihoshi's shoulder in a friendly manner after she had finished speaking. Mihoshi didn't respond. Her attention seemed to be focused on something in front of her. Ryoko looked in that direction and could not see anything but trees and other assorted plant life.

"Mihoshi?" Ryoko said again.

She still didn't respond. Mihoshi appeared to be severely spaced out and so far into her own little world that she had formed _two _little worlds in the depths of her troubled mind. That was probably scratching the surface. Ryoko sighed deeply and groaned in disgust. It'd probably be a while until she finally got a chance to talk to Mihoshi. Being stuck with her as a partner was an incredibly bad stroke of karma. Now Ryoko knew how Kiyone felt. It was possible that she could have asked Sasami's help, but she probably wouldn't assist Ryoko as that would mean breaking a rule. Ryoko had known that she was stuck with a loser the first time she had designated who her accomplice was going to be in this scheme, but she had no idea how difficult that loser would be to deal with. Mihoshi always seemed to set a new standard for stupidity each day. Still, this didn't beat the time she had swallowed the stuff in Tenchi's lava lamp, but that was another story entirely.

Ryoko decided this couldn't wait and resorted to physical persuasion. She began with the gentle stuff and sapped her fingers repeatedly in front of Mihoshi's face to gain her attention. That didn't do the trick.

"Wake up, damn it!" Ryoko growled.

The space pirate then began tapping her on her cheeks. Once Ryoko found that ineffective she started to shake her violently. Mihoshi's face still didn't show her brain was registering this as a situation which needed her attention. Ryoko eventually gave up shaking her and let go of Mihoshi. She then witnessed an event that would stick with her for the rest of her long, healthy life. Because Mihoshi was set off balance by the shaking and no longer had support, she fell over on her shoulder with a sharp thump. Her smile did not waver. It was like tipping over a nutcracker.

Ryoko cursed creatively and began strumming her fingers on her knee. Without warning, Mihoshi suddenly picked herself up and sat back down. It was then that she finally noticed she had company.

"Hi, Ryoko!" Mihoshi said. "I didn't see you, how long have you been sitting there?"

"Long enough." Ryoko muttered.

It was a classic case of a delayed reaction. Or it could have been just plain stupidity. Whatever it was, Mihoshi had some serious issues. Ryoko got right to the point by smiling and throwing a friendly arm around Mihoshi's shoulder and drawing her in close for a hug.

"How's my favorite Galaxy Police officer, huh?" Ryoko asked with a bright grin.

"Did you take a shower, Ryoko? You stink pretty bad." Mihoshi said.

Ryoko broke the friendly embrace and had to hold back skinning Mihoshi alive. . .for the time being, of course. It was true that Ryoko had a large amount of body odor on her, but that was only because of the sweating she did last night while trying to avoid being shocked in her sleep. She figured earlier in her bathroom that a little bit of strawberry lotion would cover her stink up, but apparently she needed a hot bath.

"Hey Mihoshi, can I ask you a favor?" Ryoko asked cheerfully.

"No, I don't want to buy any pickles. I'm sorry, sir." Mihoshi said with a kind tone despite the tight look on her face.

Ryoko blinked in surprise. What the hell? Where did that come from? Some things were better left untold while other things were better left never known, so Ryoko just let that one drop. She swallowed hard and decided to ask the same question again with just as much spunk. Perhaps this time it would be received correctly.

"Mihoshi, can I ask you a favor?" she repeated.

"Sure, what do you want?" Mihoshi asked.

Ryoko grinned. This time she had gotten through.

"I need to get a key from Washu's lab."

"Key?" Mihoshi said with a confused look on her face.

Ryoko sighed and shook her head in disgust. She conjured up a clever way to explain what a key was and continued talking.

"You know, that little thing that opens doors?" Ryoko explained nicely.

"That's a squeegee, Ryoko." Mihoshi corrected.

Ryoko's left fist jerked up to hit Mihoshi square in the jaw for that remark, but she held it down with a large amount of restraint.

"It's a key, Mihoshi." Ryoko said with a snarl.

"You sure?" she asked while blinking.

"Positive." Ryoko affirmed.

"Then what's a squeegee for?"

"You use it to wash the windows of your car."

"Okay." Mihoshi said timidly. "Why do you need the key?"

"It's for my. . .footlocker." Ryoko lied.

"Ryoko, you don't have a. . .wait a minute!" Mihoshi shouted.

Mihoshi scooted away from Ryoko fearfully.

"You just want it so you can get that collar off!" Mihoshi declared.

"Oh, what the hell. You're correct. Be proud." Ryoko said with a smile. "You see, I can't get that key by myself. Washu has made it so that if I touch it I'll get shocked. That's why I need your help. I need you to get it and unlock the collar for me." Ryoko paused for a moment. "If you decide to help me, I might just buy you a bag full of cookies."

That couldn't have possibly worked.

"Oh, my. . ." Mihoshi gasped out. "You drive quite a hard bargain, Ryoko."

Ryoko stood corrected. Mihoshi thought it over for a moment.

"Do you think that Washu will get mad at us?" she asked.

"What? No way." Ryoko said in a condescending manner.

"Well then, I guess you have my help. What is it that you want me to do?"

Sap. Ryoko sighed deeply in relief. The first step was complete and now the second one needed to be put into action. Mihoshi sat down across from Ryoko and waited for her instructions. Ryoko had to explain the entire plan to Mihoshi five times in a row before she finally got it right. Basically, she was to be a distraction. Why that was so hard to grasp eluded Ryoko mischievously.

"So we're clear now, right?" Ryoko asked when it was finally over.

"Your uncle only had three fingers?" Mihoshi said. "Oh, the plan! Right, me and you will sneak into Washu's lab and try to find the key and you think it might be somewhere in her main lab."

"Hopefully." Ryoko said, nodding affirmatively.

With that, they quietly made there way back to the door which had once been a spare closet. Nobody was around to see them sneaking about, which Ryoko was glad for as she hadn't thought of a clever excuse she could use if someone spotted them. The two women stepped into the room and were instantly suspended in subspace. Whenever the scientist programmed the dimension to default the visitor straight into subspace, it was a nice way of letting them know she wanted to be left alone. When she was open to company, the door lead right to her. However, there was a hidden control panel somewhere that could be used to override this technical difficulty in case of an absolute emergency.

Ryoko had once heard Tenchi mention it to Sasami. Only those two and Katsuhito were supposed to know about it. She began feeling around the empty void for a panel or a wall. Mihoshi, on the other hand, was looking below her at the infinite spinning void beneath them and getting increasingly more nervous. Ryoko's hand touched a small blue star and a transparent control panel suddenly became visible. From there it was simple to override the waiting room. Washu would probably be notified. The black void disappeared and teleported them straight into a long hallway lit with an invisible blue light.

Black granite tile was beneath them. There was no mistaking this passageway. It lead right into Washu's main lab. If Washu was going to keep the key anywhere, it would have to be there or inside her personal sleeping chamber, which nobody had ever seen. She also might be keeping it on her, but Ryoko dismissed that variable as it would make things extremely difficult. A complex security door was at the other end of the hall, but it didn't dissuade Ryoko any. Two large panes of glass were on either side of the two women and they both showed what Washu was working on at the moment. This was the area where she kept her larger experiments. She intended to impress her visitors in this manner. For the sake of safety, Washu normally worked on no more than two large experiments at one time.

To their immediate right was an expansive room full of gigantic plants. Even bigger were the insects inside. Ryoko noticed a wolf spider crawl by that could have easily been the size of a tank. This intrigued her enough to take a look into the other room. It was a wasted effort because nothing appeared to be inside. That is until Washu was suddenly thrown into the glass seemingly out of nowhere. The scientist hit the glass with enough force to crack it. Ryoko gasped in surprise but it wasn't because Washu was abruptly in front of them. What surprised Ryoko was the fact that the glass had actually cracked.

It would take a huge amount of force to even scratch this type of glass. Washu slid to the floor audibly. The scientist was dressed in a special uniform that did a very good job of absorbing shock. That's probably why she was still alive and not a bloody stain that would never completely wash out. Her face was hidden by a heavy helmet. In her hand she held a high powered Galaxy Police tactical rifle, which shot out concentrated bolts of plasma energy. At close range that weapon could melt some of the outer shell of a light-weight mobile mech suit. Ryoko still couldn't see what had attacked Washu, who appeared to be incredibly dazed. Washu looked as though she'd had more of a beating prior to being thrown into the unbreakable glass. What was in that room with her? As if on cue, a large writhing mass of something plant-like wobbled into view. It had about twenty huge tentacles and a large gaping maw ten feet above it's underside. In one tentacle it gripped half of a cow Ryoko presumed Washu had used to feed it with. Yet in another was some type of stun gun Ryoko had only seen once. She knew it was highly illegal to own and could be used to knock out just about anything. Nagi had one.

Washu stood up weakly and faced the creature.

"Locke, it doesn't have to be like this!" Washu shouted. "Try to forget about the days you were a plumber! Remember what's at stake here! Remember what you agreed to!"

It was possible to hear what was going on inside due to the ventilation system. Ryoko thought Washu's comment over. A plumber? Had Washu lured an innocent civilian into her lab purely with the intent to experiment on them? It seemed to be a possibility and judging by how pissed off the plant was, this person was no longer happy with not being normal. It threw a tentacle at Washu which missed her by a fraction of an inch and slammed into the glass, breaking it further. A couple of tiny shards flew out toward Ryoko, but she shielded herself so none of them hurt her. The tentacle remained on the glass for an instant, sucking it furiously. It pulled it's tentacle back and slushed forward toward the barrier, ignoring Washu's frantic pleas to stop.

The creature known as Locke unleashed a barrage of slaps against the glass, trying furiously to break it. While the crack did splinter further, it appeared to be making poor progress. Locke bellowed in anguish and then turned it's attention on Washu. Five tentacles lunged toward the tiny scientist. Washu waited until the last moment to pull the trigger of her gun. Red hot plasma bolts that were bright enough to singe the eyes of an unwary bystander such as Ryoko shot out of the gun and straight into different parts of the five limbs trying to grab Washu. Blood and pieces of shrubbery flew everywhere. Locke roared again, this time in anger.

A couple of its tentacles fell off painfully and it doubled back, planning its next move. As it thought, its limbs regenerated slowly. Ryoko looked over at Washu again. The scientist was now crying openly.

"No. . ." Washu wept. "It's no longer Locke. I waited to long. Now it's nothing more than a mindless thing that's driven by one base impulse. Hunger! It must be destroyed and since I can't nuke it from orbit I'll just have to kill it with fire or blow it up!"

Washu ran out of sight. Ryoko didn't dare press up against the glass to scan the area for fear of Locke attacking again. The creature tried to use its tentacles to grab at Washu, but she was quite capable of defending herself against mutants. When Washu was apparently out of range, the plant creature began to follow her slowly until a whooshing roar accompanied by a line of flame enveloped it. Locke screamed painfully and scuttled back on its rear, which appeared to function as its legs. Washu advanced toward the creature slowly as her movement was encumbered by the heavy flamethrower she was now packing. She unleashed another line of fire, which continued to injure Locke. With merely two barrages of flame the plant creature was covered in fire and trying frantically to put itself out.

"I'm sorry, Locke! Forgive me! I'll pray that in your next life you'll be anything but a plant!" Washu shouted.

She reached behind her back and pulled out a blue ball about the size of a coconut. Ryoko gasped and backed away quickly. She looked over for Mihoshi and found the police officer had passed out at some point. Apparently the drama was too much for her. In any case, Mihoshi was on the floor and thus safe from the very special grenade Washu now held in her hands. Ryoko had read about it in books and heard it was used in many different places across the galaxy, but this was the first time she actually was privileged to view the infamous unstable plasma grenade.

Unlike the grenades found in a certain video game series, this weapon didn't stick to whatever it hit. Far as anyone who wielded one was concerned, it didn't have to. On either side of the ball were two mixtures of plasma that were polar opposites of each other. A fairly handy divider separated them from touching. Once that divider was yanked out, the liquid would creep through a special tube the divider also blocked until the two forms of liquid energy made contact. When that happened, it was usually a good idea to be around two states away from it depending on the strength of the grenade.

It didn't have to be plasma either. It could be any chemical that would elicit an explosion. There were various handy modifications as well. Due to the fact that this ball had a sticker of a smiling bit of fire sporting sunglasses, it was more than likely designed to fry whatever was in or out of its expansive radius. Washu pulled the divider out. Ryoko dropped to the ground and instinctively covered Mihoshi. Apparently Washu intended to cover both ways to eliminate the experiment. Fire and an explosion. Of fire. This was clearly overkill.

"Because of you there won't be a cure for cancer!" Washu shouted. "Stupid, stupid failed experiment!"

Washu hurled the grenade at Locke. It flew right into the creatures mouth. A loud gulping noise followed the grenades entrance to the monsters esophagus. Washu hardly had time to get out of the way when the weapon exploded. Bursts of flame as hot as the surface of the sun flew everywhere. The creature was completely incinerated by the blast. The glass barrier cracked completely, but didn't break until Washu came flying through it. Shards scattered everywhere. Washu hit the barrier across from the one she currently broke and fell face first into the floor, smoldering and bleeding like a stuck pig. It's hardly worth writing that she was out cold as it's so obvious. The wolf spider began pecking at the tiny crack Washu made when she hit the other barrier with one of its legs. Ryoko watched it for a moment before deciding that it couldn't possibly escape.

The explosion was so great that it blew apart most of Washu's suit, including her helmet. That was the main reason her hair was on fire. Ryoko flipped Mihoshi's unconscious body over and took off her shirt. She then frantically smothered the flames that were consuming Washu with it. Ryoko then turned the scientist over and checked for a pulse. She couldn't get one from Washu's neck so she instead tried the spot over her breasts. As Ryoko ran her hands along Washu's chest in a non-erotic fashion, her collar beeped and gave her one hell of a good shock. The space pirate recoiled and grabbed the unfashionable collar in response to the vicious buzz. Ryoko gurgled and frothed at the mouth as the electrocution went on for about fifth-teen seconds.

The key! Ryoko gently pulled Washu's torn suit away from her neck and saw that she was wearing a necklace. At the end of it was the blue key. Clever. Ryoko was considerate enough to try checking for a pulse again before she took the key. To her relief, there was one. Washu would be alright. Ryoko turned her attention to Mihoshi, who she shook awake.

"Is. . .is it over?" Mihoshi asked.

"Yes, it's over." Ryoko confirmed, tossing Mihoshi's burned shirt at her. "Put this back on."

"How come it smells funny in here? I've never smelled this smell before."

"This scent is essence of burning hair, Mihoshi." Ryoko joked lightly.

Mihoshi looked disbelievingly at Ryoko for an instant.

"I guess hair doesn't catch on fire every day, does it?" Mihoshi asked. Ryoko shook her head no. "That's a good thing."

"Indeed." Ryoko agreed. "But listen, it looks like I was wrong about where the key is. Washu is actually wearing it right now. You'll need to grab it before she wakes up."

"Alright." Mihoshi said weakly. "We have at least eight hours."

As Mihoshi undid the key from the necklace, Washu sat up unexpectedly and grabbed her arm. A cold stare completely froze Mihoshi. Ryoko gritted her teeth together. This was it. Or so she thought. Washu's eyes rolled into the back of her skull and she fell over, passing out again. Her grip on Mihoshi did not loosen and she pulled the unsuspecting police officer on top of her. Mihoshi hesitated for a moment longer until she shook off Washu's death grip and then finally yanked the key free.

"Good job, Mihoshi!" Ryoko congratulated. "You're not so stupid after all!"

"Umm. . .thanks?"

"Now follow me." Ryoko said, smiling grandly.

Mihoshi tailed Ryoko as she rushed out of Washu's lab. Exiting the multiple dimensions Washu had set up was quite easy. All they had to do was open the door and that would instantly transport them back to the first floor hall about a stone's throw away from the front door. When they emerged, Ryoko noticed that _everyone _was in the living room. She held her breath and briskly made her way toward the doors leading outside. Nobody said anything. Maybe they hadn't noticed. She turned around to check on Mihoshi. Her partner had become distracted and was now looking at the TV happily.

Ryoko grabbed the back of her shirt and hauled her along. They successfully exited the house. It was still early in the afternoon outside. Just to be safe, Ryoko ran along the path that led to Katsuhito's shrine and eventually ducked into the forest and continued running until she was sure they were both hidden. Ryoko then let go of Mihoshi's arm and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. It wasn't because she was exhausted, though. She was physically and emotionally overwhelmed at the prospect of popping the collar off her neck. Unlike Ryoko, all Mihoshi cared about at that moment was picking the twigs and leaves that her hair had caught.

After she'd finished tidying up as best she could, Mihoshi knelt down in front of Ryoko, who decided that since Mihoshi had done so well back in Washu's lab that she had earned a heaping portion of her patience. Mihoshi took the key from her pants pocket and then felt around for the lock.

"Ryoko, I can't seem to find where to put this thing." Mihoshi said, worried.

"Try the hole in the back." Ryoko suggested, remembering that Washu had previously operated the collar from there.

The key fit perfectly in the tiny hole. Mihoshi tried turning it clockwise, but encountered a heavy amount of resistance.

"Try the other way, Mihoshi." Ryoko instructed.

That was when Ryoko heard a loud snap. Her heart skipped two complete beats. Mihoshi drew her hand away from Ryoko's collar and offered her half the key. All of Ryoko's hope had been in that single key, and now just like the key, her hopes were shattered.

"Oops." Mihoshi said. "I seem to have broken the squeegee-er-key in the lock."

"You did what?" Ryoko asked calmly.

"Sorry, Ryoko. . .you understand, don't you?" she asked with large, tear filled eyes.

"I understand completely, Mihoshi." Ryoko answered gently.

"I'm glad." Mihoshi said with a smile. "Do I still get a cookie?"

**X**

"Mihoshi!" Kiyone called out once more. "Mihoshi, where are you? You've got to come home and get some sleep. We open at _Gamecrop _tomorrow!"

Mihoshi had disappeared earlier that day. Nobuyuki and Katsuhito went out into the forest to look for her, as did Azaka and Kamidake. Sasami and Ayeka went through the house and they could not find Mihoshi anywhere. Washu wasn't answering any calls and Ryoko had locked herself in her room, so they left both of them alone. Kiyone sighed in distress and sat down on the porch behind her.

"Why? Why did I ever turn down the central office and agree to have jurisdiction over this area again?" Kiyone demanded angrily. "I might be a detective sergeant, but nothing about my work has changed!"

**X**

After Ryoko had finished letting out some stress on Mihoshi, she decided to retreat to her room for the remainder of the day and read anything but romance novels. It was nearing bedtime and the collar was still on her neck. Today had surely not gone as she had planned it to. Washu had to have found out that she no longer had the key. Why there hadn't been a knock on her door about it baffled Ryoko, but she wasn't really concerned as she tried to drown out her problems by diving into a couple of books. Ryoko finished a manga and two historical novels before she resorted to starring at her ceiling and wallowing in self-pity. Apparently this collar was going to be on her for yet another night.

Eventually it came time to try and get some sleep. Ryoko climbed into bed and slid under her covers, hoping for the best. Just as she did, she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Ryoko?" came Tenchi's voice.

"What do you want?" Ryoko asked.

"I figured that maybe you wanted to talk." Tenchi said.

"Come in." Ryoko said. "It's open."

Tenchi came in and closed the door behind him. He then turned on the lights.

"I got you these." Tenchi said happily.

He tossed her a small bottle that she caught in one hand. They were sleeping pills designed to drive away nightmares. The bottle hadn't come from a legal pharmacy. Washu had mixed them up and while her inventions usually went haywire, she was a bit more successful with making medicine. Washu also had enough common decency not to give out containers full of pills she couldn't handle properly. Put simply, if Ryoko took these pills she wouldn't turn into a plant creature.

"I didn't have time to go get these today." Ryoko said.

Tenchi resisted revealing that he knew why that was. Washu had told them about how they somehow mysteriously took the key from her. At the time she had a weird black cylinder around her head that was regenerating the hair she'd lost. It was quite amusing, but Tenchi refrained from laughing. When Tenchi pressed further with his insistent questioning, Washu replied that she was having an off day and everybody was entitled to at least six of those a year. Even super geniuses like her. Of course that wasn't the real truth, but there was no way she would tell him that about two months back she'd stolen a plumber when nobody was looking and fiddled around with his genes. It was already more than enough to be a black spot on her conscious forever. Nobody else needed to know about it and Tenchi could ask her as many questions as he wanted. Washu wouldn't change her story.

Ryoko popped a few pills, neglecting to drink some water so she could swallow them better. At least now she might be able to get some sleep.

"So. . ." Tenchi began. "How are you?"

It was the type of question Ryoko had always wanted him to ask her _before _she had the shock collar on. The query that was supposed to invoke happiness now disappointed her considerably. She kept herself as calm as she could, though. Yelling at Tenchi wouldn't get her very far.

"This is cute. What, now that I'm restrained you can talk to me openly? You've rarely even come into my room before I had this collar on unless you had something to defend yourself with. Like shaving cream." Ryoko stated while regarding him sharply.

"I. . ." Tenchi gawked. He thought for a moment before he answered. "You're behaving now." her look didn't soften up with that one. "Ryoko, I hate to see that on you. I've already talked to grandpa about taking it off."

"Really?" Ryoko said, a little stunned.

"Yes. I did. I wanted to tell you that. He says he'll take it off after one more week. Look on the bright side, though. At least now you have a definite date."

Ryoko shook her head.

"So you actually went and did that for me, huh?"

"Don't think like that, Ryoko." Tenchi said sadly. "It's nothing, really. I just hope you were able to think about some other stuff besides me. Because you know, I'm not the most important aspect of your life. Right?"

"Yeah." Ryoko answered. "I've thought about some other stuff in the time I've had this on. I guess that means it's working."

"I know. You haven't been shocked all day, have you?" Tenchi said.

"Not at all."

"See? It's nice, right?" Tenchi said lightly, hoping he wasn't jumping into his own grave.

"How's your shoulder?" Ryoko asked, intentionally flipping the subject around.

"It doesn't hurt as bad as I thought it would." Tenchi admitted.

"You're not mad at me for that. . .are you?" Ryoko asked.

"No. You didn't do it on purpose." Tenchi replied.

"I'd like to tell you something." Ryoko said. "About why I'm always trying to get at you."

Her tone dropped a few moods. She sounded sad.

"You don't have to say anything about it if you don't want to." Tenchi said.

"No. You should know so we don't misunderstand each other any more. Think of it as my personal way of thanking you for standing up to Katsuhito."

The two of them sat in silence for a long time. Tenchi patiently awaited Ryoko to gather enough courage to spill out whatever it was she was holding inside.

"I love you so much that I need to feel close to you. That's why I do the things I do." Ryoko finally explained. She was tearing up. "I don't want to loose you, so I feel better keeping you near and there's so much I want to share with you."

"That's great, but please try to understand my position, Ryoko." Tenchi said. "I can't just rub Ayeka out of the picture. I value my friendship with her just as much as I do any of the other women living in this house. I guess. . .I guess I don't want to loose anyone either. When nobody's fighting, the combination of everyone's personalities is almost euphoric."

Ryoko nodded.

"Well, these are the best years of our lives. So they say." Ryoko said.

"All I ask from you is to not force yourself on me. If you have to cling, I guess that's okay."

"Fine. I'll abide to social norms and let you make that advance, but you had better make it or. . ."

She stopped short and exhaled deeply while pulling absently at the collar. Ryoko had said enough. They'd previously never spoken to each other like this. It felt good for both of them to try and understand their own delicate emotions. Tenchi had never fully figured out Ryoko's reasons for desiring him until now. This new information made him think differently about her opinion of love. Apparently they almost had something in common concerning that area. He felt odd in a way to hear her say such things. She usually kept herself quite reserved. That usually made her hard to relate with. As for Ryoko, she'd always suspected why Tenchi was so bothered, but she wouldn't tell him that. It would definitely make things better if she behaved a little differently around him. That might give Ayeka an advantage, but she wouldn't let her have the upper hand in this situation no matter what.

She almost smiled at how messy their problems were. At least she never gave up.

"Before you, I evaded men." Ryoko said. "In my world, they couldn't be trusted. I didn't have anyone special."

"Really?" was all Tenchi could say as Ryoko opened up a piece of her past to him.

"Yes. Tenchi, when this collar is taken off, I promise to be a little easier on you from now on. But I don't really know how long I'll be able to do that. My emotions seem to rule over my thoughts. And I. . ."

Tenchi held up a hand to stop her.

"It's okay, Ryoko." Tenchi said gently, and it was.

"I can only hope so." Ryoko responded.

"Be who you are."

She abruptly began to slowly draw his face closer to his. Tenchi wasn't stupid enough to not realize what was going on. Ryoko was wanting a kiss and probably needed one. Tenchi made no effort to draw back. The two of them drew very close to each other until both of their faces were less then an inch apart when they were interrupted by a loud noise. It sounded like the old "TA DAH!" sound effect found on junky computers. In what seemed to be slow motion, the collar snapped off of Ryoko's neck and fell to the floor, where it crashed with a heavy thud.

Ryoko and Tenchi both looked down at it in disbelief. The thing looked innocent on the ground, but it had a harsh purpose in reality, much like everything Washu had ever invented. Except for maybe the giant wolf spider. That probably had some kind of aesthetic purpose.

"I win!" Ryoko shouted triumphantly. "Take that, Katsuhito!"

She began laughing maniacally while putting together the reason for her victory. Obviously Ryoko had been wrong in her judgement of the collar treatment. Whatever new state of mind she'd entered she couldn't clearly see, but something must have been different or that thing would still be on her. Tenchi was clearly more comfortable around her when she wasn't so aggressive. Maybe that's what everyone had been trying to show her. Or they could have set the collar to fall off after so many hours without delivering a shock. In any case, her problem was solved.

The whole experience hadn't been all that bad, either. She got to organize her thoughts, be more humble, and see Washu get the snot beat out of her by a rampaging shrub that might have at one point in time been human. Come to think of it, she hadn't even gotten shocked all that much. Life was good. Ryoko turned to Tenchi and posed suggestively.

"Tenchi." she called, grinning.

All Tenchi could do was back away from Ryoko as she advanced toward him, still grinning broadly. He suddenly found himself backed into a wall, and this time there was no escape. Ryoko placed her arms around his neck and drew him in close. Tenchi was shaking nervously. He bitterly realized that it was obvious this would have eventually happened. Tenchi hadn't expected it to occur so soon, though. Ryoko appeared to be taking advantage of her release. For a moment Tenchi thought she would jerk away. Perhaps she had learned to associate fantasies and advances with pain. No such luck. Not only was that because Ryoko was hard set on her feelings for him, she also had only had the collar on for two days. Tenchi waited for the assault, but it did not come.

"You said you'd be a good girl." Tenchi reminded her.

"I lied." Ryoko said flatly.

_That figures_, Tenchi thought dully.

"What now?" Tenchi asked uncomfortably.

"Nothing." Ryoko was quick to answer. "For the time being." she winked at him. "I tell you what we will do, though. We'll celebrate! Hold on a second."

Ryoko reached under her bed and pulled out a large bottle of highly expensive sake. She must have been restraining herself from guzzling it all down in one sitting because there was still plenty left. There were also apparently two lucky mugs under the bed as well, since she pulled them out immediately after retrieving the liquor. Of course, they could only be considered lucky if tea was in them, but this was Ryoko.

"Drink with me." Ryoko requested.

"I don't know about that."

"Tenchi, don't be a pansy." Ryoko snapped. "Share in my joy."

"You're right." Tenchi concluded. "Are those clean?" Tenchi asked, pointing at the mugs.

"Should be." Ryoko guessed.

Before she began pouring drinks, her thoughts went back to the hideous purple collar. She put the booze aside and knelt down next to the tool. It was still warm and open. Ryoko picked it up and snapped it shut, sighing as she did so.

"I think I'll keep this." Ryoko said to herself. "It might just come in handy some day."

Only if she figured out how to reprogram it. She was pretty sure she could do so. While Ryoko wasn't an expert with technology, she had dealt with it enough in the past to know her way around a few things, although that was putting it far to lightly. Ryoko placed it on top of her dresser and then turned to the drink. Before she got a chance to enjoy it, a panicked scream cut through the house. Tenchi ran over to Ryoko's window and tried to see what was going on outside. He couldn't.

"What was that?" Tenchi asked.

"Kiyone must have found Mihoshi." Ryoko answered. "I thought it would have taken another day or two for that to happen."

"So you did that, huh?" Tenchi asked. Ryoko nodded. "Just what exactly did you do to her?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Ryoko was very quick to respond, waving the matter off. "Don't worry about it, Tenchi. Mihoshi will be just fine once they dig her up."

"Dig her up?" Tenchi shouted incredulously.

"You let such little things bother you." Ryoko chided disapprovingly. "She's not in any pain unless you think being very uncomfortable is painful. Now, how about our drink?"

Since there were no further interruptions, Ryoko was able to fix up the treat. She didn't pour lightly, either.

"So what are we drinking to?" Tenchi asked.

"Me, of course." Ryoko said. "And to the future, whatever it may hold. So long as it is in my favor."

"Hence the lucky mugs."

"Precisely." Ryoko confirmed.

"Aren't you suppose to put tea in those, though?" a voice came.

"I'll put whatever I want in them." Ryoko mumbled. "For what I paid, they should still be lucky."

"Wait, who was that?" Tenchi said.

"That was you."

"No it wasn't."

"Umm. . .okay?"

Ryoko pinpointed the direction the voice had come from. It had emitted from outside her door, which was currently opened ever so slightly. On the other side was Nobuyuki, who was crouched and holding a digital camera at an angle that enabled him to get a clear view of what was going on inside. He wasn't filming Ryoko's victory, though. As usual, he was waiting for Ryoko to make some sort of move. He'd gotten even more giddy when the collar had actually fallen off. That still hadn't caused her to get naked, though. He had a small collection of secret tapes of Ryoko in the nude. All of them hadn't been that hard to acquire. Nobuyuki was somewhat of a voyeur, but not quite a true pervert as the purpose he had behind catching Ryoko in compromising moments wasn't entirely vulgar.

It was just a simple hobby. That's what he told himself to make him feel better. Now, for the first time ever, he'd been spotted simply because he'd opened his mouth. Nobuyuki felt something snap around his neck. Someone then pushed him directly into the room, causing him to cry out in surprise. He scrambled back into a crouch. Nobuyuki examined his camera to see if it was broken and was glad to see that it was not. He then laughed nervously and waved a hello. Ryoko's face was on the verge of breaking into a fit of laughter, and Tenchi had a shocked look on his face.

"I knew it." Tenchi said.

Nobuyuki remembered that something was on his neck and he felt it and realized that it was the shock collar that Ryoko once had on. He gasped in surprise and then heard deep chuckling behind him. He spun around and saw Katsuhito step into the light.

"I think somebody needs a little discipline." Katsuhito claimed with a grin.

Nobuyuki whined and realized he was in for it. He then frantically tried to pull the collar off, just as Ryoko had done when she had been in the same position. Tenchi sighed and his head sunk to his chest. Ryoko noticed this and gave Tenchi a pat on the back. It didn't ease him any. This was just another common evening at the Masaki home.

* * *

**Author's Notes.**

* I went through a lot of ideas on how the collar was supposed to come off. At first it was suppose to just fizzle out and die because of how much it was being used, but I decided that romance was a better way to have it fall off.

* There's an alternate ending for this story. In it, Ryoko would have placed the collar on Ayeka and programmed it to shock her if she got too close to Tenchi.

* DeviantART artist ShadowKira was nice enough to draw a scene from this story. Since this site does not display links correctly, I would recommend looking for it through Google, if you are interested. The title of the submission is the same as the title of this story.


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